What if
digital breast imaging could give us a
more accurate idea of what’s inside?

Digital mammography. The very latest in breast cancer
diagnosis from Memorial Hermann Southeast.
W hat if a mammogram could be
done more quickly, with equal or lower
doses of radiation? W hat if our
experts could get a more precise view
of potential breast cancer? At Memorial
Hermann Southeast Hospital, we never
stop asking what if. Constantly asking
what if is what led us to offer our
patients digital mammography. This

technology takes an image of the
breast that can be stored and sent
electronically. Experienced breast radiologists at Memorial Hermann Southeast
can then use state-of-the-art software
to interpret the mammogram. Digital
mammography. It’s just another example
of how we make breakthroughs
— every day.

Same-day and Saturday appointments are often available. Call 281.929.6485
to schedule your mammogram at the Breast Care Center-Southeast.
Visit memorialhermann.org/bccSE for more information.

49 • the gentleman's room •
For the man who commands the very best
Harley-Davidson • She’s Leaving Home • Trucker Paradise • Hot Wings • Game On
66 • live well • Feel Good, Look Good
Know Your Genes • Fighting the Wrinkle War

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of the publisher. The publisher assumes no
responsibility to any party for the content of
any advertisement in this publication. The
opinions expressed herein do not necessarily
reflect the position of the publication.

coming up
Get in the spirit of the
season with Prime’s Living’s
Luxury Gift Guide. In our
next issue, we’ll be sharing
our picks for the holiday's
most to-die-for gifts
perfect for friends, family
and loved ones.

I

t was about this time last year (my, how time flies!) when we were preparing to launch
Prime Living. Our office was buzzing with excitement and anticipation of the magazine’s
debut…however, due to my involvement in the community with Katrina relief efforts,
I was on heightened alert with the announcement that Tropical Storm Ike had become a
hurricane and was headed our direction. Needless to say, we were some of the lucky ones with
only minor damage to our offices and no power for a week.
It’s times like these that the grit and adversity that come with being a true Texan shine
through. It also makes it fitting that we celebrate all things Texas in this special issue of Prime
Living. From Friday night football to the Yellow Rose of Texas, check out our list of real “Texas
Treasures” on page 30. If you’re from the Lone Star State, then you’ll know every treasure
listed. If you’re not, then “y’all pull up a chair and sit a spell.”
One of our most famous Texas treasures is former Houston Oilers football coach Bum
Phillips. How many of you were at the Astrodome the day the Oilers and Bum returned from
that unjust loss to the Pittsburg Steelers in January 1979? What a turnout! To relive those glory
days, be sure to read “Smile When You Call Him Bum” on page 26. You’ll be delighted to
know that he and his wife Debbie are doing well and Bum…well, Bum is still as we remember
him: Larger than life.
Now that the weather is cooling down (okay, just a little) I can’t wait for this year’s slew of fall
festivals. If you’re like me, then be sure to read our picks of fall fests that you don’t want to miss.
Fall also means the beginning of “empty nesting” for some, like our resident “guy” expert,
Bruce Farr. His humorous and touching account of his daughter going off to college is
heartwarming and funny.
I can’t finish up without plugging the absolute best lemon cake I’ve had in years! It’s Del
Frisco’s Lemon Cake and seriously, it will make you forget all about Jenny Craig.
Until next time, “Luv Ya Blue!”

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Lisa Forster | Stylist
Stylist Lisa Forster has seen her share of the
behind-the-scenes workings it takes to create
a gorgeous magazine cover. With more than
15 years experience in wardrobe and makeup
styling, she has worked with Annie Leibovitz,
Albert Watson, Mark Seliger for Vanity Fair,
Vogue and GQ. A native of Carefree, Ariz., Lisa
enjoys getting back to nature, especially with rides
through the desert on her horse Whoa Mega.

Sandra Lord | Haunts Expert
This month’s “Houston Haunts” feature
couldn’t have happened without the help of
Sandra Lord, founder of Discover Houston
Tours (discoverhoustontours.com). As owner of
Houston’s only guided walking tour company,
she has conducted over 3,600 tours for more
than 48,000 people. This year marks the 10th
anniversary of her downtown Ghost Walks and
the second year for her Broomstick Adventures.

Mark Peterman | Photographer

Robin Barr Sussman | Writer
Freelance writer Robin Barr Sussman
normally reports on enlightening food,
wine and travel experiences, but this issue,
she walked on the dark side. To get you in
the spirit, Sussman covered haunted haunts
unearthed by those who know the chilling
adventures of ghosts returning to their old
stomping grounds. Sussman’s work also
regularly appears in Private Clubs Magazine,
My Table and Modern Luxury Houston.

Mark Lipczynski | Photographer
A professional photographer for nine years,
Mark Lipczynski has been documenting the
human condition for publications and clients
in Ohio, California, Arizona and Texas. A
self-proclaimed “foodie” (in the photo realm),
he specializes in food and dining photography,
but has been known to knock out a great
portrait, too. Mark is the founder of Shoot for
the Stars, a photo project showcasing the work
of adults with disabilities.

Dr. Nadya Hasham-Jiwa |

prime-living.com

Phoenix-based photographer Mark Peterman
shoots for a diverse stable of clients and his work
has been published in a wide variety of national
and international publications, including
Fortune, Rolling Stone and Runner’s World. He
recently was selected to participate in a photo
project sponsored by the Virginia C. Piper
Charitable Trust, a Phoenix-based trust that
works with and helps support local nonprofits.

Medical Oncologist
A medical oncologist and Medical Director
of Specialty Cancer Care (clinic and infusion
center), Dr. Nadya Hasham-Jiwa specializes
in the treatment of all types of cancers. She
is an affiliated physician with the Memorial
Hermann Southeast Cancer Center/Radiation
Center, where a continuum of diagnostic,
treatment and support services designed with
the patients’ needs in mind is offered.

Leaves are turning brilliant shades of
yellow, temps are on the decline and the
smell of pigskin is wafting in the air as the
faithful prepare to cheer on their favorite
high school, college and professional teams.
Here are 10 signs it’s football season:
Armchair quarterbacks
settle into a reclining
field position with requisite
potato chips and remote,
shouting playbook advice as if
they have better insight into how
to avoid being crushed by a
375-pound tackle.
Otherwise non-verbal
members of your
household start having animated,
emotionally charged
conversations while viewing the
game, asking rhetorical questions
like, “Why didn’t you run the
ball?” and “You call that defense?”

12

prime-living.com

The football
fashionconscious purchase another $100
synthetic sports jersey to go with
the 25 other similar nonbreathable ones hanging in their
closet, completing a shirt
“collection” that no designer
would dare endorse.
The lines between
reality and roleplaying blur when millions of
fans forget they have jobs, kids
and other important
commitments as they lose
themselves in a fake (note: fake)
pastime called Fantasy Football.

Your husband, who
claims he can’t change
the oil in the car or use power
tools, reveals a patent-ready
barbecue grill he’s built in the
off-season especially for tailgating.
Football “widows,”
suffering from a lack of
spousal attention, console
themselves with retail therapy and
find that buying new purses and
shoes is an important step in
coping with their sports
abandonment issues.
Who’s No. 1?
The statewide
autumnal shouting match begins
between the Aggies and the
Longhorns, signaling the bell for
the greatest inter-collegiate Lone
Star football rivalry.

A 58-inch plasma
TV appears, along
with an expanded sports cable
package, in your living room so
the “entire family” can live, eat
and breathe football 24/7 for the
next five months.
Forget happy hour. If
you want to mingle
at the end of the week, try any
high school stadium where most
Texans, young and old, have
gathered to toast their gridiron
greats at Friday Night Madness.
Irritating, retired NFL
football players launch
secondary media careers as
analysts and color commentators,
causing even sports historians to
wonder: Who did he play for?

night out

cocktails
&
conversation.

While you’re in the
neighborhood,
check out these
other great spots

Wine Find

Story | Holly Beretto Photography | Mark W. Lipczynski

C

ellar 17 is a story of
necessity being the
mother of invention.
Back in 2007, Jeanmarie
Lesseraux and her husband Ron,
owners of Serious Cigars (located
next door), wanted to expand their
growing cigar business by renting
the adjoining space. There were
two problems: They didn’t need all
the space and the landlord didn’t
want to subdivide it.

So the couple took the all-ornothing deal and used that extra
square footage to open a wine bar.
“We liked the idea of our cigar
patrons being able to go next
door, grab a glass of wine and
head back to the cigar shop,” says
Lesseraux, Cellar 17’s general
manager. “Plus, we had this great
environment for wine drinkers.”
Slipped into a strip center
amid the commercial kudzu of
FM 1960 in Champions, the
bar and retail shop is elegant and
inviting. Plush, comfy couches
and chairs dot the huge space,
interspersed with coffee tables
and high tops, some tucked into
semi-private alcoves. There’s also a
huge back room where guests can
host or attend private parties.
Wine is available by the glass,
bottle or case, and patrons can
create custom wine flights to
sample what’s on offer.
“We decided early on to
have smaller production wines,
boutique items,” says Lesseraux.
Thus, Cellar 17’s nearly
300 wines are ever changing.

Lesseraux says she wants people
to think of the wine bar and
retail store as a resource; the shop
happily places special orders for
customers who get hooked on
particular favorites.
It’s also a place to learn more
about wine. Throughout the fall
and spring, Lesseraux has several
winemaker dinners and tastings
scheduled, where drinkers can meet
the people behind the products.
Add in the live music on the
weekends, and it’s easy to see why
this is a great grown-up hangout.
Another bonus: Cellar 17 offers
a small cheese and appetizer menu,
but patrons can bring their own
food to pair with one of the wines.
Cellar 17 is the kind of place
where a night out feels like a
cozy night in—with much better
wine.

cellar 17
6608 fm 1960 road west #c
281-893-6400
cellar-17.com

Serious Cigars

Featuring the largest
humidor in Texas, Cellar 17’s
sister business combines
cigar warehouse with
clubby smoking room. From
standard sticks to items
only available here, those
in the know recognize it as
Houston’s premier address
for fine smokes.
6608 FM 1960 West #D
281-397-9800
seriouscigars.com

Matsu Japanese
Restaurant

Stop for sushi at this homey
spot and you won’t be
disappointed. Homemade
hand rolls in creative
combinations abound,
while the bento boxes
offer incredible portions.
There’s even a serviceable
beer and wine list, making
it one of the best Japanese
restaurants around.
4855 FM 1960 West
281-893-8700
matsusushibar.com

County Line BBQ

Tucked amid green trees
along Cutten Road, this
barbecue mecca serves up
a positively perfect pulled
pork sandwich, plus huge
portions of ribs and brisket,
all in a cowboy kitsch setting.
Laid back and easy, this is
how barbecue was meant
to be.
13850 Cutten Road
866-960-8749
countylinehouston.com

september/october • 2009

13

buzz

T

Simplydivine

here are special and unique things that we all must experience at least once in our lifetimes. Hotel Derek is
offering one such experience.
This fall, Valentino Houston—owned by Piero Selvaggio (left)—will open at the Galleria boutique hotel, offering
a dining experience that will leave you breathless. Celebrated chef Luciano Pellegrini offers the $1,000 Truffle
Dinner, which features Uova al Tartufo (egg raviolo with truffle shavings) and a series of truffle courses. The dinner
begins with a selection of Crudo di Pesce with fruit and brine infusion, served with such vintages as Barolo Ginestra
1990 by Conterno-Fantino.
For dessert, indulge in a sumptuous duet of rum baba and Sicilian cassata prepared by Valentino pastry chef
Alessandro Stoppa and paired with Solaria Jonica 1959, a late harvest Primitivo specially aged for Valentino.
For information, visit hotelderek.com or call 713-961-3000.

n homage to design divas and style mavens everywhere, artist
Omar Angel Perez has taken the art of fashion to new heights
with a gravity-defying exhibit showcasing a series of platformshoes-turned-works-of-art.
“Omar Angel Perez: Stilett“O”s” features the transformation
of platform shoes to sky-high art pieces made with wood and accent pieces such as band saw blades, snakeskin, leather, feathers
and Swarovski crystals. Drawing the line between sadistic and
stunning, Perez’s works are playfully thought-provoking.
Born and raised in Houston, Perez is not only an artist, but a
skilled woodworker as well. He discovered his passion for building through his parents—his mother was a painter and seamstress and his father built handmade toys. Today, Perez specializes
in fine-crafted furniture and sculptural objects.
An opening reception will be held on Sept. 3 from 5:30 to 8
p.m. The exhibit will be on view from Aug. 29 to Oct. 25 at the
Houston Center for Contemporary Craft. For information, visit
crafthouston.org or call 713-529-4848.

The brutal Texas summer is almost over and soon it’ll be time to
have some fun outside the air-conditioned comfort of your home.
What kind of fun? We’re talking fall festivals and fortunately, our
little piece of heaven has more than its share of events to delight
the mind and the senses.

Gulf Coast Film
& Video Festival

If you want to view thought-provoking films
and rub elbows with film stars, this festival
is the place to be. From Sept. 25-27 at the
Hilton Nassau Bay, see the innovative work
of independent filmmakers at weekend
screenings and celebrate their work at
an awards dinner featuring Jon Lovitz of
Saturday Night Live fame.
3000 nasa parkway, nassau bay
281-333-5804
gulfcoastfilmfest.com

Greek Festival

Celebrating one of the largest Greek
Orthodox communities in the country, the
43rd annual Greek Festival returns Oct. 1-4.
In its 43rd year, the Annunciation Greek
Orthodox Cathedral hosts this event that
gives locals the chance to dance like Zorba,
feast on gyros, dolmas and baklava, and wash
it all down, of course, with a glass of Greek
wine. Opa!
3511 yoakum blvd.
713-526-5377
greekfestival.org

12th Annual Jazz Festival Gruene Music &
While you’re getting your film fix at
Wine Festival
the GCF&V Festival, wander down to
the Kemah Boardwalk between flicks to
take in some of the best jazz performers
in the country. Past years’ events have
showcased performances by Carol
Morgan, Carlos Garnett, Will Cruz and
Woody Witt.
215 kipp ave., kemah
281-334-9880
kemahboardwalk.com

Greune Music & Wine Festival

Greek Festival

Bayou City Art Festival
Downtown

From Oct. 9-11, head to New Braunfels
for their annual celebration of Texas culture
and Americana featuring live music and
local foods with Texas vintners and brewers
showcasing their finest wares. For the first
time in the event's 23-year history, the festival
will include a craft market.

Downtown will be brimming with art and
culture at this nationally ranked festival set for
Oct. 10-11. Hit the streets and enjoy artists’
booths, a children’s zone, stage performances,
music and dance, and art demonstrations.
And because gourmet fare is yet another form
of art, there will be wine tastings and cooking
demonstrations.

Houston
Deconstructed
Get the answers to your burning questions about the Bayou City

Story | Barbara Fulenwider

Alley Theatre

16

Q

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

Q

What
organization
has celebrated
77 years in Houston and
is still the group to be
involved with?
The Houston Livestock Show and
Rodeo was established in 1931 and
held its first show in 1932. Gene
Autry, the show’s first big-name
entertainer, performed in 1942,
the same year the calf scramble was
introduced. Ten years later, the Salt
Grass trail ride began when four
men traveled on horseback from
Brenham to Houston.
After moving into Houston's
new domed stadium in 1966, the
rodeo attracted more than 40,000
people to one performance. In
2003 at Reliant Stadium, each
performance drew more than
70,000 fans.
In 1999, 4-H and FFA
scholarships were increased for
the second year in a row. Each
commitment increased to 70
percent per program for a total of

140 four-year, $10,000 awards.
In 2001, the show held its largest
ever presentation of scholarships
when a total of $3 million worth
were awarded to Houston area
students—which is what this
rodeo is really all about.

Q

What Houston
hotel stands on
the site that was
once the capitol of the
Republic of Texas?
The historic Rice Hotel is the
third hotel that has occupied
the downtown site where the
capitol of the Republic of Texas
was from 1837 to 1842. After
the legislature moved to Austin,
the Allen brothers, who founded
Houston, retained ownership
of the capitol building until
1857 when they sold it to R.S.
Blount for $12,000. In 1881, the
building was razed and a fivestory building named the Capitol
Hotel went up. Two years later,
a five-story annex was added and
the hotel was renamed Rice.
In 1911, the Rice Hotel
was sold to Jesse Jones who
demolished it. In its place, he
built a $2.5-million, 17-story
structure, which opened as a
hotel in 1913. In 1922, the Rice
Hotel Cafeteria was the first
air-conditioned public room in
Houston. Over the many years
the Rice Hotel has been open,
six presidents have visited and
Democrats held their national
convention there in 1928.

Has there been
a female mayor
of Houston?
Kathy Whitmire rode the wave
of the women’s movement into
elective office when she ran for
city controller in 1977 and won,
becoming Houston’s first female
elected to a city government job.
She won her re-election bid as
controller two years later and, in
1981, ran for mayor. Whitmire
was sworn into office as the first
female mayor of Houston in
1982 and first female mayor of
a city this size in the U.S. She
served five two-year terms and is
noted for being the first Houston
mayor to put mass transit on the
front burner.
Rice Hotel

Have a burning question about life in Houston? E-mail your curious inquiries to askhouston@prime-living.com.
prime-living.com

Courtesy of The Alley Theatre

Q

How did the
Alley Theatre
get its name?
On Nov. 10, 1947, more than
100 people met at a dance studio
at 3617 Main to discuss a new
theater for the city. Membership
cost a dime and the payee received
a vote on each question that
needed resolution. Actress Rita
Cobler paid her dime, looked at
the narrow path that led to the
building and suggested the new
theater be named the Alley. The
name got unanimous approval.
The dance-studio-turnedtheater-at-night could seat only
87 theatergoers who suffered
no heat in the winter and no
fans in the summer. The nearest
drinking fountain was three
flights up and a sycamore tree,
which grew through the roof with
gaps around it, guaranteed that
those seated nearby would get wet
when it rained. Two years after
the Alley’s first production, they
moved to a fan factory on Berry
Avenue and in 1968 to their
current downtown location.

cocktails
&
conversation.

arts

bestbets
Our Town in
H-Town

There’s something exciting
about the Alley’s decision to
launch its new season with
Thornton Wilder’s Our Town,
taking audiences back to
Grovers Corners, N.H., for
a bit of minimalist stagecraft
that changed the American
theater for generations.

Looking Latin

Story | John DeMers

A

s the new Houston Symphony season
approaches, Hans Graf has every reason to
lift a glass of the good stuff. While most
evenings Graf takes on the role of music director
and conductor, many other evenings he transforms
himself into Hans Graf, Wine Guy.
It’s not for nothing that Graf divided his time
for years between Houston and Bordeaux, not
simply imbibing France’s single most legendary
wines, but conducting an orchestra that somehow
still managed to steer through a score. You get the
feeling Graf is a little tired of jokes about wine
being the only reason he hung onto the Bordeaux
gig for so long.
“That’s what not-very-benevolent people
pretended,” he says, “that I went to Bordeaux only
because of the wine. But wine is a very important
thing for me. Wine is a thing like art. People
who make wine need to have the same skill and
dedication and extraordinary gifts to make it a very
good wine.”
Graf has settled into a new commitment in
Houston, without the Bordeaux gig. The narrowed
focus seems to buy him a fresh sense of reverie, a
“remembrance of times past” that have led him to

18

prime-living.com

his work here. And those times, going back almost
to his childhood in Austria, powerfully involve and
evoke the love of wine.
“When I was young, still a young music
student or maybe in my first year teaching,”
Graf says, “once in a while I treated myself to a
nice dinner just to find out. When you get out
in real life, you find out about delicacies you’ve
never even heard about. So I try, try, try. When
I go to a new city to conduct, especially in Italy,
this was wonderful. They have such incredible
things. I learned to go always for the odd things,
the local things. Why should I eat what I can get
at home?”
Though Graf brushes aside any comments about
his “wine collection,” he does fess up to keeping
a variety of nice bottles wherever he is staying,
whether in Houston or at home in Mozart’s lovely
Salzburg. He and his wife like to play “that silly
game,” tasting wines without reading the label and
trying to guess the place of origin and the vintage.
Most of all, his love of wine seems one with his
love of music, indeed with anything beautiful and
carefully crafted that lifts us from the routine of our
daily lives.

Lescaut to the
Ballet

Houston Ballet is launching
its 40th season Sept. 10-20
with Manon, the dramatic
story of love and money.
This production draws on
two well-known operas: one
in Italian by Puccini, the
other in French by Massenet.
The choreography is by 20th
century giant Sir Kenneth
MacMillan, making this one
of the past half-century’s
most popular full-evening
story ballets.

HGO’s New Elixir

A new production of
Donizetti’s lively opera The
Elixir of Love—the story
about a poor boy who falls
in love above his class—was
a hit of the prestigious
Glyndebourne Festival in
Scotland this summer. Now,
that very same production
opens the 2009-2010
Houston Grand Opera
Season, featuring Russian
soprano Ekaterina Siurina
as love interest Adina and
tenor Eric Cutler as the
“unworthy” Nemorino.

You still have September to
take in the Museum of Fine
Arts Houston’s eye-popping
look at the Latin American
art it’s acquired since 2001.
North Looks South: Building
the Latin American Art
Collection features more than
80 works created between the
1920s and the present.

The category changing 2009 A4 Premium.
Progress is beautiful.

Top to Bottom, side-to-side, the
2009 A4 embodies the past,
present and a healthy infusion of
the future. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the new paradigm
for luxury and performance. Audi.
Truth in Engineering.

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Sept. 10 to Oct. 11
The House of Spirits: From the
Novel by Isabel Allende
Main Street Theater – Rice Village,
2540 Times Blvd. $20 to $36. 713524-3622, mainstreettheater.com

Sept. 12

review Swan Lake • Houston Ballet

A

rtistic director Stanton Welch tends to see
things in black and white—or at least he did
in his version of this classic ballet. At least
he saw things in terms of stark contrasts: yes, black
and white (as in the color of swans), but also day
and night, life and death, good and evil.
First performed at the Bolshoi in Moscow
in 1877, Swan Lake was given its familiar look
by Petipa and Ivanov at the Mariinksky in St.
Petersburg almost two decades later.
To picture Welch’s take on this ballet of
Tchaikovsky’s lush melodies, picture this: SleepingBeauty-Meets-Dracula-With-Feathers or, more
specifically, evil prince dressed in black keeps
maidens captive by turning them into swans. Love
happens between one swan and one human, then
death happens, breaking the spell and setting all the
maidens free.
On opening night, Sara Webb and Connor
Walsh showed just how much they’ve grown
as performers since this new Houston Ballet
production debuted in 2006. Webb made the

perfect woman-or-swan, depending on the place in
the story, and Walsh brought his substantial acting
gifts to the fore while portraying one of ballet’s
most heroic yet doomed heroes. It’s a true gift when
Walsh is having a “conversation” with someone in
dance, and you always know what he’s saying.
Nicholas Leschke made a brooding, strutting
Dracula—I mean Rothbart—and the corps de
ballet performed wonderfully throughout the
entire, rather long evening.
During the eight-performance run of Swan Lake,
the role of good/evil Odette/Odile was also danced
by Houston Ballet principals Amy Fote, Mireille
Hassenboehler and Melody Herrera, giving her first
performance in the role. Other Prince Siegfrieds
included Simon Ball with Fote, Ian Casady with
Herrera, and Linnar Looris, making his Houston debut
in the role with Hassenboehler. All were luminous
on the large Wortham stage amid spectacular preRaphaelite sets and costumes by the late New Zealand
designer Kristian Fredrikson, this Swan Lake being his
final project before passing in late 2005.

Oct. 3 to Dec. 24
One of Houston’s newest art venues, Galleria Lazzara
is a haven for art lovers and collectors, and quickly
becoming an innovative art space showcasing local,
national and international artists. Each month,
the gallery hosts a VIP Artrepreneurs Night, a byinvitation-only event where serious art buyers can
have a first look at the month’s new show.
5400 mitchelldale #b7
713-681-0681 • gallerialazzara.com

A race driver has .02 seconds to seize
an opportunity. You have slightly longer.
The time is now.

*1.9% APR applies to new Model Year 2009 Porsche models except for the 911 GT2. 1.9% APR available for up to 60 month financing, monthly payment of $17.48 per $1,000 financed for 60 months. Payment
terms not to exceed 60 months on Approved Credit by Porsche Financial Services, Inc. Does not apply to Porsche Options (balloon) financing. Offer valid through 09/30/09 from participating U.S. Porsche dealers.
Specific vehicles and options are subject to availability and your price may vary. For details about costs and terms call 1-800-Porsche. For additional information visit Porsche of West Houston.

cocktails
&
conversation.

my life

Sonya
Fitzpatrick
Animal Communicator

E

ver wish you could talk to the animals?
Former British fashion model and star
of Animal Planet’s 2002-2003 The Pet
Psychic Sonya Fitzpatrick does just that. And,
they talk back.
“I was born with it—my grandmother had
the same gift. I was born with a hearing loss
and didn’t speak until I was four and a half,
but I could talk telepathically to animals.”
“When I communicate with animals, there
is no time or space. I can tune into animals
all over the world. That’s how I can do pet
readings over the phone. I see pictures and
feelings, they don’t speak to me in language.”
“I’ve worked with a lot of celebrities: Ashley
Judd, Ellen, Robert Wagoner. I’ve communicated
with his horses and his new dog.”
“It isn’t just pets. I talk to a lot of wild
animals, bears, snakes, Siegfried and Roy’s cats
when they were doing their stage show.”
“Gatorland in Orlando, Fla., called me
because Pop, one of the alligators, wouldn’t
get out of the water. Pop told me he wasn’t
getting his red meat. When I asked his trainer
about it, he said they had switched to chicken
because of the cost. When they switched
him back, he came out of the water and
performed. Of course, I don’t talk to gators
everyday of the week.”
“Sometimes people are embarrassed at what
the animals tell me. One lady called and said
her dog was peeing on her boyfriend’s shoes.
What she didn’t tell me, and the dog did, was
that she was married and her husband was out
of town. The dog didn’t like the boyfriend in
the house!”

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Interview | Marene Gustin Photography | Mark W. Lipczynski

“Some animals are funnier than people.
Sometimes they’ll tell me their mums don’t like
it when their mother-in-laws come to visit!”
“I can also talk to animals that have passed
on and sometimes people come in. Their
spirits are looking for someone who can hear
them, so it doesn’t matter if I’m an animal
communicator, they want to have their say.”

“I have a house on an acre in The
Woodlands. Right now, I have five dogs and
four cats, all of them are rescues. There’s so
much animal abuse, it’s important to do
what we can for them.”
“I’m shooting a new pilot for Animal Planet
right now, I have a radio show on Sirius and
I do several phone readings a week. And I’m
teaching my seven-year-old granddaughter,
who was also born with the gift. She just talks
to animals all the time!”

cocktails
&
conversation.

top: indi denim | bottom: CJ by Cookie

style

jeantherapy
v

ersatile, stylish and yes,
even sexy, jeans are the
essential fashion piece.
Years ago, Jordache, Calvin Klein
and Levi’s were household names.
Today, brands like 7 For All
Mankind, Diesel and Lucky are
what’s hot, available in a variety
of styles and washes.
While fashion is cyclical, there
are some new denim classics: dark
for evening, boot cut and skinny
styles. This fall, don’t despair,
there’s a pair for every occasion.
Here’s the lowdown on the rising
trends in jeans.

Story | Roseann Rogers

White – The Labor Day rule no
longer applies, especially in Texas
where white denim is white hot
year-round. Pair with a splash of
color in the summer (think jeweltone purple or Kelly green) and
sandals. For fall, trade color for a
black or camel-colored turtleneck
and slip on your favorite boots for
a chic, updated look.

“Green” – Going green is all
the rage these days and now there
are jeans for the eco-conscious
fashionista in all of us. Designer
Seun Lim created James Cured
eco-friendly denim that’s been
Custom – Can’t find the perfect treated with green tea leaf and
jeans on the rack? Try IndiDenim. coffee extractions before being
com, which recently launched a
“cured” under the California
line to give you the look you want. sun. For a “green” take on a
Choose from an array of fabrics
classic, try the Levi’s Capital E,
and then let your Project Runway
which features all organic cotton,
inner designer out by selecting
natural indigo dyes and is made
everything from the leg style, to the with recycled buttons and zippers.
type of hem, to the back pocket
style and finishing treatments for a
one-of-a-kind pair.

Boyfriend – Tired of sticking
to that liquid diet to fit in your
skinny jeans? Trade them for
a burger and boyfriend jeans,
the most comfortable trend in
denim right now. Wear them
loose and low on the hip, but be
careful not to get them too baggy
lest you look like an actual guy.
CJ by Cookie Johnson (wife of
former Los Angeles Laker Magic
Johnson) offers great fits perfect
for all body types.
Slimming – Finding the perfect
fitting jeans is a battle all women
face. Fortunately, slimming
jeans allow for both comfort and
sexiness. Not Your Daughter’s
Jeans and Kymaro Curve Control
Jeans both use special weaves in
the denim to flatten your stomach
(look two sizes smaller!) and lift
your bottom getting rid of the
dreaded muffin top and giving
you that fresh-from-the-doctor’soffice-tummy-tuck look.

ure it’s still sweltering outside, but there’s really no better time
than now to think about the spirit of the season—especially
if you’re looking for great holiday home décor ideas. Here’s
a look at a few holiday home tours that will not only delight and
inspire you, but also give you a chance to help:

Homes for the Holidays
Dec. 4-5
If traditional architecture is right up your alley, tour seven
fabulous homes in the Houston Heights district, each reflecting
traditional Houston Heights architecture. Docents will also be on
hand to describe the history, architecture and holiday décor of each home.
On Sat., Dec. 5, don’t miss Mistletoe Madness, where visitors can browse and shop the
district’s local boutiques and restaurants from noon to 6 p.m. Heights First Saturday will
also be going on, featuring merchant special events and pet adoptions.
Proceeds will go towards promotion and enhancement efforts of the Houston Heights
Association. Tickets will be available online at houstonheights.org and at various Heights
locations. For information, visit houstonheights.org or call 713-861-4002, Ext. 7.

18th Annual Child
Advocates of Fort Bend CASA
Christmas Home Tour
Dec. 11-12
An area holiday tradition, this year’s tour
will showcase six beautifully decorated
homes in Fort Bend County and the
Richmond area. In addition to touring
the homes, visitors will enjoy live
entertainment and holiday treats.
Proceeds from the home tour will

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design

cocktails
&
conversation.

Yuletide on Bayou Bend
December
Bayou Bend, Miss Ima Hogg’s historic home, will be transformed into a festive showplace
at the annual Yuletide at Bayou Bend. Eight rooms of the mansion will be decorated with
historic recreations of holiday celebrations from the 18th to 20th centuries, with docents
giving historical perspective on the home and insight into holiday customs and traditions.
Candlelight Open House tours will be available on Thursday and Friday nights from 5
to 7 p.m., while December Sundays will be held from 1 to 5 p.m., featuring activities for
children and families.
Proceeds will benefit programs and conservation efforts at the Bayou Bend Collection
and Gardens. For information, visit mfah.org/bayoubend or call 713-639-7750.

benefit Child Advocates of Fort Bend,
a nonprofit organization that works on
behalf of abused and neglected children
through two advocacy programs: Court
Appointed Special Advocates and the
Children’s Advocacy Center.
Starting Nov. 1, tickets will be available
at Randall’s, Kroger and other area
businesses. Tickets are $15 in advance,
$20 at the door. For information, visit
cafb.org or call 281-341-9955.
*Events subject to change.

september/october • 2009

25

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prime-living.com

smile

When You Call Him Bum
Former Houston Oilers head coach Bum Phillips is a true Texas treasure

Story | Bruce Farr
Photography | Mark W. Lipczynski

In the beginning, it was mostly about that unlikeliest of nicknames,
“Bum,” which Oail Andrew Phillips’ older sister stuck him with when
she couldn’t pronounce “brother.” From then on as he grew up, no
matter who Bum Phillips met, they’d always shoot him a quizzical
glance and chuckle just to think about that improbable moniker.

t

oday, mention Bum Phillips to anyone
inside or out of the Lone Star State’s
borders and they’re almost guaranteed
to bring up the unofficial Texas state sport—
football—and how, for many generations of
Texans and lovers of the game everywhere,
Bum has come to embody the heart and soul
of it. They’re also inclined to tell you about
Bum’s well-deserved place in the pantheon
of legendary football coaches—giants like
Vince Lombardi, Tom Landry and Bear
Bryant—who have left an indelible mark on
what has arguably become the most popular
sport in America.

East Texas roots
Bum Phillips was born in 1923 in Orange,
Texas’s easternmost city—although Bum
says he’d be hard-pressed to describe that
community as a city, given that it barely had a
paved road back then. As a boy, he wandered
the grassy range and the shoreline along the
Sabine River, and learned about discipline
and hard work from his grandparents on the
ranch they owned in that town, just across the
border from Louisiana.
Bum’s family—his mother, father and
grandparents—raised him in the Texas
tradition, “as a Christian and a good

september/october • 2009

27

Colorful coach
Bum’s career took off in 1975, when he was
named head coach of the Houston Oilers.
Applying the same grit, determination and
will to “do things the right way” that he
had in his high school and college coaching
jobs, Bum whipped the faltering Oilers into
shape. Over the course of the next five years,
he became the “winningest” coach in the
franchise’s history, twice taking the team to
the AFC championship and racking up a 5938 record.
It was more than just his winning ways
though, that made Bum the beloved Texas
icon that he is today. Every week during
football season, America watched as the
Oilers’ big, square-jawed coach planted
himself firmly at the sidelines of every game,
a tall white Stetson crowning his head. It
became Bum’s trademark—that Stetson and
his western attire—and something about
his folksy manner and the sight of him out
there week after week touched a positive
nerve in America. It wasn’t long before Bum’s
Oilers had transcended the Texas borders and
become a beloved national team.

citizen,” he says. Those early years instilled
in Bum the character he would carry
with him through a lifetime of playing
in and coaching football teams, gaining
momentum and fame as he moved from
high school squads, through college teams
and finally into the spotlight as head
coach of two of the NFL’s most legendary
franchises, the Houston Oilers and, later,
the New Orleans Saints.
All-consuming pastime
The Phillipses moved to Beaumont, Texas
when Bum was 14. “Up ‘til then, I didn’t
know anything about football, but that’s
when I started to play,” he recalls.

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“Luv Ya Blue”
Through the 1970s, when Bum was coaching
the team, something was happening in
Houston, and Bum was at the center of it.
The team’s fans sparked a movement that
famously was called “Luv Ya Blue,” and the
spirit and enthusiasm for the team embodied
in that catchphrase traveled like an electric
current out of the stadium and throughout
all of Texas.
“I can’t for the life of me tell you how
or why that movement became as big as it
did or why it did,” Bum says. “I think it
coincided with a lot of interest in western
His sports career was temporarily interrupted
clothes and life and other things, and the
when he enlisted in the Marine Corps during
timing was just right.”
World War II. But, back from the war, Bum
Of course, it didn’t hurt that Bum was
attended Stephen F. Austin State University where
he resumed playing and soon lettered in football. building a powerhouse of a football team,
shaping and molding his roster of talented
After college, Bum was preparing to
young players to become a force to be
go to work in the Texas oilfields when
reckoned with on the gridiron. Bum will
his former coach offered him an assistant
try and tell you his success is owing to the
coaching job in Nederland, Texas. Bum
pure luck of having found the right players,
thought he’d try it for a year.
of bringing in athletes like Heisman Trophy
“Once I got into it, though, it just
winner Earl “The Tyler Rose” Campbell, the
consumed me,” he says of the sport.
legendary quarterback Dan Pastorini and a
High school and college coaching stints
handful of other brilliant players of the game.
followed, most notably at Texas A&M, the
Pastorini begs to differ. “Bum likes to deflect
University of Houston, Southern Methodist
any credit from himself—it’s just the kind of
University and Oklahoma State.

“A lot of people might be book
smart, but [he] has a great
knack for influencing people.
He’s just that kind of person.”
- Wade Phillips

guy he is—but he knew football inside and
out, and he was a brilliant strategist of the
game. He was really a philosopher. Personally,
though, he had a unique ability to bring people
together and communicate with all players;
that’s the reason our team was so successful.”
Bum chalks it up to knowing who you are.
“As a coach, I think that being honest and
being yourself is the most important key to
your success—you can’t be somebody else. I
couldn’t be a Tom Landry. If I’d tried, I would
have failed. In the clutch, it’s always going to
come out what kind of guy you are.”
Football in their blood
Bum’s son Wade Phillips is currently head
coach of the legendary Dallas Cowboys.
While Bum admits he’s pleased Wade has
followed in his footsteps, he makes the
strong point that he never foisted his chosen
profession on his son.

“You don’t want to force your children into
anything that they don’t like,” he emphasizes.
“But he’s the same kind of guy I was, I guess.
He’s not going to do anything unless he does
it right.”
For his part, Wade says it would have been
impossible not to be influenced by his famous
father.
“I was always around the field and the
office when my dad was coaching,” he says.
“I was a water boy for a while, and I’d do
anything then, really, just to be around him
and the game.”
Much of what Wade brings to his current
coaching job with the Cowboys comes from
his father’s influence.
“He has great common sense,” Wade
says of his dad. “A lot of people might be
book smart, but daddy has a great knack
for influencing people. He’s just that kind
of person.”

Goliad “retirement”
In a way, Bum Phillips has come full circle—
at least that’s how he sees it. These days, Bum
and his wife, Debbie, are content to sit back
and enjoy their 250-acre horse and cattle
ranch in the historic town of Goliad, Texas.
The ranch isn’t unlike the spread his
grandparents had when he was a boy, and it’s
become a sanctuary for Bum and Debbie,
and the happy setting for innumerable
Texas-style get-togethers where the Phillipses’
steadily growing family of six children, 23
grandchildren and four great-grandkids mix
and mingle with a stream of Bum’s former
players, assistant coaches and just plain lovers
of the sport, who show up to reminisce with
the beloved old coach.
It’s not that Bum has slowed down much,
it’s just that he and Debbie are devoting
themselves to different kinds of projects,
particularly a handful of missions and
charities that they feel are important to their
Christian “walk” through life, and consistent
with Bum’s passion for “leaving things a little
better than I found them.”
One of their primary activities is aiding
their daughter and son-in-law, Kimann and
Mark England, in their Heart Sign Ministries,
which supports hard of hearing and deaf
children in their communities, offering
camps, retreats, workshops and much more.
Another involves Mike Barber, one of
“Bum’s Boys” and a former star receiver for
the Oilers in the late ‘70s. Barber now devotes
himself exclusively to operating a prison
ministry that is helping to lower recidivism
rates among prison inmates throughout the
country. Bum and Debbie have lent their
names, time and energies to help Mike
further this important cause.
“It’s amazing to see what a difference
Mike’s ministry makes in each individual
prisoner and life in general in these prisons,”
Debbie says.
Yet another focus of the Phillipses is
Coaches Outreach, a program designed to
build coaches’ and their spouses’ characters by
helping them live better Christian lives.
It sounds like Bum and Debbie are keeping
plenty busy, but, true to form, when people
ask Bum what he’s up to these days, he likes
to tell them, “I’m not doin’ nothin’ and I
don’t start that ‘til noon.”
If you believe that, though, you don’t really
know Bum.

september/october • 2009

29

Story | Allison Bagley

Think you know Texas?
Here’s our handy guide to 41 things
worth braggin’ about in the Lone
Star State. Whether you’re a newbie
or a native, these are just some of
the reasons we’re proud to call
Texas home.

B attle of San
Jacinto

Fought right here in
Harris County and led
by General Sam Houston, the famous 18-minute Battle of San Jacinto
led to Texas’ independence from Mexico in
1836. Using head and
heart rather than size
and strength, the early
morning raid was how
the South was won. It’s
our version of Waterloo,
and the battle is memorialized in a striking
monolith rising high
in suburban Deer Park,
Texas. (Constructed, in
trademark Texas style,
to be just a tad bit taller
than the Washington
Monument.)

30

prime-living.com

Big Hair

What’s the
saying? The
higher the
hair, the
closer to God?
Well, hallelujah!
Here in Texas, our
bouffants and teased
up-dos nearly touch
heaven. Big Texas
hair hasn’t gone out
of fashion, even if the
styles have changed over
the decades. Take the
much-beloved Farrah
Fawcett, who made a
name for herself as a hot
young Angel because of
all that hair, or Houston
society doyenne Lynn
Wyatt, who still works
a trademark over-thetop ’do.

Cowboy Hat
The cowboy hat may
only be dusted off
for special occasions
(the Rodeo or the
ranch), but cowboy
boots are a part
of our everyday
uniform. Litigators
wear them into the
courtroom with
suits and fashionistas
pair them with
short little dresses
all year long.

Three bearded bikers formed the
iconic band ZZ Top in 1969 in
Houston, and today the original
rockers are still going strong,
touring and churning out records.

Bob Merlis for Hire

ZZTop

Not since the Spartans
had so few fought
so many. From the
moment Colonel
Travis drew a line in
the sand with a sword
and invited those who
wished to stay and die
to cross. Along with
Bowie and Crockett,
they all did. And until
the last fighting Texian
drew a breath, a group
of courageous men
showed their nescient
republic, along with
the United States and
the rest of the world,
just what a Texan
with some guts can
accomplish. We’ll
always remember the
Alamo, and what the
remaining structure
in downtown San
Antonio represents.

Congress
Avenue
Bridge

You don’t need a bat
phone to summon
the largest urban bat
colony in the world.
Home to 1.5 million
Mexican free-tailed
bats, Austin’s Congress
Avenue Bridge is the
place to see and be
seen at dusk. This
amazing spectacle can
be viewed from mid
March to October.
Austinites love the
flying rodents not only
because they keep it
weird, but are said
to eat their weight in
mosquitoes each night.

Bluebonnets

Each spring, families
pull to the side of
highway for the
obligatory photoop surrounded by
bluebonnets, the
wildflower treasure
we’re more than proud
to call our state flower.
We have nature-loving
Lady Bird Johnson to
thank for the painted
blue landscape that
pretties up our highway
system once a year.

2009 Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders

Chevy and Dodge can hold their own with
the city slickers, but drive off the interstate
and along the dusty back roads that lead to
nowhere, and the only pick-up you’ll see on a
real deal ranch is a Ford, preferably with a steer
horn up front and a gun
rack in back.

Dallas
Cowboy
Cheerleaders

As if watching
the Dallas
Cowboys
on Sunday
afternoon wasn’t
enough for any
self-respecting,
red-blooded
Texan, watching
scantily-clad
cowgirls strut
their stuff at
halftime is a
weekend bonus.
Many have
tried, but no
one successfully
mimics the
gorgeous
Dallas Cowboy
cheerleaders.
september/october • 2009

31

Nelson

Dairy Queen

Dubbed the “Texas
Stop Sign,” Dairy
Queens are a staple in
small town Texas life.
The same booth can be
the scene of a couple’s
first date and their 50th
anniversary. The drivethru and parking lot are
a hotbed of social
activity in onelight towns—it’s
not uncommon
to spot the pretty
girl just elected
prom queen
celebrating her
victory, tiara and
all, with a Blizzard.
And that’s what we
like about Texas.

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Socialites

They don haute
couture in the pages
of international
fashion magazines,
adhere to rigorous
party schedules
by way of private
jets, and graciously
host diplomats in
their lavish homes.
Texas socialites
are in a league of
their own. With
elegantly long names
like Becca Cason
Thrash and Joanne
King Herring, their
infamous parties
are matched only
by their generous
philanthropy.

FridayNightFootball
All across the great state, from Lubbock to
Laredo, Texans kick off each autumn weekend
the same way: under the stadium lights for
Friday night football. We grow ’em big here, and
make no secret about holding back boys from
starting kindergarten to give them the running
start they’ll need on the field. Yep, high school
football is a religion and we pray for the state
trophy all year long.

ShockInc.com / Elaine Shock Inc.

Willie

He reclaimed country
music from those
posers in Nashville
and brought it back
to Texas. Scratch
that, he created
Texas music. Willie
Nelson still plays at
sell-out rodeos and
dive bars alike. He’s
good-timin’, but steps
up consistently when
fellow Texans are
in need. And who
could forget the IRS
incident? The braided
superstar responded
by releasing a megaselling album, giving
him enough change
to pay off the pesky
feds while keeping a
chunk for himself. In
all other parts of the
world, they say there
are only two things in
life that are certain:
death and taxes.
Not in Texas and
not for Willie.

Yellow Rose
of Texas

Proving once and for
all that the way to
a man’s heart is not
through his stomach, the
seductress responsible
for “occupying” Mexican
commander Santa Anna,
while we stampeded his
camp for victory in 1836
during the Battle of San
Jacinto, is fondly known
in legend as the Yellow
Rose of Texas. We’ve
given Miss Emily Morgan
her very own song and
hotel, along with a pass
for her promiscuity.

Debutante
Balls

It’s a right of passage
for blue bloods and
nouveau riche alike, as
country clubs make way
for the annual flurry of
debutante balls. Young
women on the deb circuit
practice the time-honored
Texas bow from a young
age (while learning how
to keep their white gloves
clean in cotillion), and
they’ve only got one
chance to get it right.
The donning of a couture
ivory gown, however, is
merely practice for their
second society affair: their
wedding day.

Frito Pie

Classic state fair grub and a Friday night dinner staple, Frito
Pie is comfort food done right. There’s no need to question the
ingredients—there shouldn’t be anything in the dish but chili,
cheddar, chips and onions—but the actual container is long
debated. Play it safe and eat it the old-fashioned way, with the
ingredients poured directly over Fritos in a bag.

Reliant Park | Texas Medical Center Corp.

Beauty Queen

You don’t have to wear
a sash to be considered
a beauty queen in these
here parts. Texans
claim to be the best in
everything, and our
gorgeous women are
no exception. Whether
baby’s got her blue jeans
on or is dressed in her
pageant finest, there’s
an easy confidence in a
Texas smile for all the
world to see. And, no,
we’re not above beauty
contests to prove it.

Astrodome

The “Eighth Wonder of the World” was
built out of necessity—detailing plans for
the proposed Astrodome was the only way a
group of prominent Houston businessmen
could persuade the National League that hot
and humid Houston was a viable spot for
a pro baseball team. The first domed arena
achieved measures of greatness that went
unmatched for decades. Even though bigger
domed stadiums have been constructed
since, nothing conjures up images of Texas
greatness and innovation quite like the birthplace of AstroTurf.

Texas Medical Center

When Baylor University decided to move their
medical school from Dallas to Houston in the ’40s,
they were considered pioneers. The result of their
forethought is the sprawling Texas Medical Center,
which draws 160,000 visitors each day, for a total of 5.1
million annual patient visits. The largest medical center
in the world is home to 47 institutions, including
behemoths like Baylor College of Medicine (no longer
affiliated with the Baptist Baylor), M.D. Anderson, UT
Health Science Center and Memorial Hermann. The
stomping ground of internationally lauded researcher
the late Michael E. DeBakey, it’s also the site of more
heart surgeries than any other in the world.

september/october • 2009

33

vs.

Galveston
Seawall

The beach ain’t pretty, but
it is all ours. The Galveston Seawall, constructed
by the Army Corps
of Engineers after the
devastating Hurricane of
1900, protected our state’s
most famous coastline
from what would have
been catastrophic blows
by both Alicia and Ike.
The 10-mile strip faces a
row of hotels, restaurants
and bars that make up the
main drag of our coastal
get-away.

What’s on tap in Texas? Two beers compete for the title of our
favorite beer. Originally brewed in San Antonio and still enjoying
mass appeal from frat houses to hole-in-the-walls, a cold Lone Star
in a can is a required accessory for telling tall tales. Shiner Bock,
on the other hand, hails from the oldest independent brewery in
the state. Made in Shiner, Texas, the dark German style beer is a
decidedly different taste.

Who Shot J.R.?

It was the shot heard round the world,
literally, as world-wide fans of the beloved
soap opera Dallas, spent an entire summer
hypothesizing who gunned down their
love-to-hate central character, J.R. Ewing,
in the cliffhanger season finale episode,
“Who Shot J.R.?” It turned out Sue
Ellen’s crazy sister pulled the trigger,
attempting to put an end to the wheeling
and dealing, womanizing, liquor at
lunching wild man that epitomized the
boom and bust of the oil field for millions
of viewers who, to this day, equate
Southfork with Dallas, and the Ewing’s
fleet of Mercedes with Texas.

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Mechanical
Bull

“Ride it, Sissy!” From
honky tonks to haute
events, the fun of a rickety mechanical bull spans
the ages and the social
classes. We may never
clock eight seconds on a
real bull, but no matter.
Real talent is displayed in
the middle of a crowded
bar, hanging on to a
saddle with one hand
and triumphantly holding a brewski overhead
with the other.

The international
shopping mecca that is
the Galleria attracts more
than 24 million visitors
annually to Houston and
is said to be the hottest
tourist attraction in town.
Walk its sunlit halls and
you’ll hear an assortment
of international tongues
as travelers and residents
congregate with a
universal love for labels.

Nolan Ryan
Nasa
NASA may be a federal

left: courtesy nasa | right: courtesy Reliant Park

administrative agency
fully backed by federal
funds, but let’s not
forget it was Texas
that put the first man
on the moon.

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

It might not be the oldest, but it is the world’s biggest, and why
shouldn’t it be? Texas is the home of the cowboy. During the
Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, locals and visitors alike
feel it’s perfectly acceptable to put aside all other obligations
for a month to attend festivities day and night. And what other
rodeo can boast they are the end point for 13 grueling trail
rides? In the world of cowboy folklore and reality, the Houston
rodeo proves once again that all roads lead to Texas.

Not only did “Strikeout King” Nolan Ryan
beat his own record, it doesn’t look like his
sweep is close to being matched. The only
player to ever come close is another Texan,
Roger Clemens. And let’s not forget when a
46-year-old Ryan taught a younger league
member a thing or two about respect for your
elders. Mr. Robin Ventura learned you never
charge a determined Texan with a strong right
arm. Yep, Nolan Ryan was and always will be
the closest thing to Superman we’ll ever have.

Kilgore Rangerettes

They marched onto the field of Kilgore College in 1940 as a
ploy to keep sports fans from mischievous halftime boozing,
and the Kilgore Rangerettes have been high kickin’ ever since.
They call themselves the first drill team in the world, and
we’ll take that proud distinction. The competition to become
a part of the elite set is fierce—the boot-clad beauties are
known around the world and have appeared on the cover of
Life, Newsweek, Esquire and the Saturday Evening Post.
september/october • 2009

35

Texas Chili Cook-Off

There may be no greater honor, or
challenge, than judging a Texas
chili cook-off. Each of these
competitors—many of whom
travel the state’s circuit with
their recipes—could win
hands-down in some
rinky-dink cook-off in
the Midwest. But here
you have to be the best
to take home the blue
ribbon for spiciest.

“Don’t Mess
with Texas.”

In a state not known to be a fierce
advocate for enviromentalism, the ’80s
ad campaign, “Don’t Mess with Texas,”
was a command of sorts from Texans to
Texans to keep their state beautiful. It
quickly came to mean so much more,
spreading through the country like
brushfire, tagged with all the bravado,
rugged independence and confidence
Texans are now known for. If you were a
Yankee, would you mess with a Texan?

Urban Cowboy

If you want to know what kind of impact Urban
Cowboy (filmed in Houston) had on the rest of
the nation, compare images of California street
fashion before and after the blockbuster was
released in 1980. You betcha’, even the richies
on Rodeo Drive started to dress in boots and
jeans, so influenced were they by our blue collar
bad boy. Just like Bud rescued Sissy at the end
of the movie, it’s safe to say Texas rescued the
rest of the country from their fashion doldrums.

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Texas Rangers

Instilled by the “Father of Texas”
Stephen F. Austin in 1823 to watch over
the “range” that formed the republic
of Texas, the Texas Rangers have been
keeping the peace and fighting bad
guys ever since. Our elite set of law
enforcement hunted down villains like
Pancho Villa, caught bandits Bonnie
and Clyde, and had the burdensome
task of trying to quell drinking during
Prohibition. Hats on their heads, boots
on their feet and always emblazoned
with a shiny star, the Rangers remain
synonymous with swift justice.

Austin City
Limits

It’s not a coincidence
that the live music capital of the world lures the
finest musical acts from
across the globe and
from every genre. Austin
City Limits, the live television series produced
by PBS, is still cutting
edge 34 years later, having birthed the wildly
successful annual Austin
City Limits Festival.

Gilley’s

Bull ridin’, brawlin’
and boot scootin’ with
a beer in your back
pocket. Gilley’s, formerly
located in Pasadena, is
synonymous with good
times. And if you think
Billy Bob’s is the honky
tonk of Texas, you never
experienced the heyday
of the massive bar made
famous as the setting of
the movie Urban Cowboy.

Blue Bell Creameries

B lue Bell Ice
Cream

Did you hear the scoop?
You can find Blue Bell
Ice Cream as far away
as Nigeria. The oil
execs camped out there
screamed for ice cream,
and they can now get
the homemade goodness
for $25 a half-gallon.
The little creamery in
Brenham—where they
eat all they can and save
the rest—opened in 1907
and prides itself on selling
to only 17 states (all in
the south, natch) while
holding their place as the
third best-selling brand in
the country.

Armadillo

The armadillo, with its
thick outer shell that’s
virtually impenetrable
by outside elements,
has become a mascot
for thick-skinned
Texans everywhere. The
armored creature is so
beloved, it spawned
Gary P. Nunn’s hit song
London Homesick
Blues. (Wanna go home
with the armadillo?) And
don’t forget the gleaming
majestic silver statue that
marks Goode Company’s
Armadillo Palace live
music bar on Kirby
Drive (affectionately
known by regular
patrons as the ’Dillo.)

H omecoming
Mums

The bigger the better
when it comes to mums
for annual high school
homecoming festivities,
a tradition in small
towns and urban areas
alike. Bestowed by high
school boys upon their
dates, the oversized
pin-on corsage dangles
nearly knee-length,
adorned with ribbons,
charms, cowbells and
an assortment of other
paraphernalia intended
to one-up the girl next
door.

Longhorns
vs. Aggies

Gig ’em or hook ’em.
You can’t be a Texan
without rooting for
one or the other. The
age-old rivalry between
burnt orange and
maroon is practically
as old as the state of
Texas. Once every
year, generally around
Thanksgiving, the
University of Texas
battles Texas A&M on
the football field for the
year’s bragging rights.

Steak

Grill it, pan-fry it, broil it, chicken fry it.
We like steak in all shapes and sizes, from
the sirloin to the New York (gasp!) Strip.
Although a Texan may have his or her
preference in cut or preparation, everyone
agrees that eating a good slab of beef is the
best way to show you ain’t no sissy. If you
can tackle the 72-ouncer at the Big Texan
in Amarillo, the meal is free and you’ll
have life-long braggin’ rights. If you can’t,
join the rest of us in boasting that Texas
has more steakhouses per capita than
anywhere else in the world. We can’t prove
it, but that doesn’t stop us.

rio grandé

In a way, the two pronunciations of Rio Grandé symbolize
all that Texas has become with respect to diversity. The
gigantic river that snakes its way between the Lone Star State
and our neighbors in Mexico provides a natural geographical
border, but also symbolizes all that we have inherited, from
cuisine to culture, from those that prefer to call it by its’
four-syllable, accented moniker (Rio Gran-day). Stretching
an impressive 1,885 miles, the Rio Grandé is the fourth
largest river in the U.S.
september/october • 2009

homage
to a Home Town
Story | Holly Beretto Photography | Mark W. Lipczynski

Chef Robert Gadsby is a celebrity chef
utterly at home with himself and more
eager to show off his food than his
fame. The mastermind behind Noe and
Soma sushi has exaltations of “brilliant,”
“creative” and “eccentric” routinely
following in his wake. ¶ His career has
taken him all over the world, but he’s
made a home for himself in Houston.

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ouston’s been very good
to me,” says Gadsby.
“There was nowhere
else I wanted to do this—it’s very
personal to me.”
“This” is Bedford, named for
Gadsby’s hometown in England,
a market town dating back to
the Middle Ages. Its two famous
landmarks are the Butterfly
Bridge and the old clock tower.
Both are represented in the logo
for Gadsby’s Houston incarnation
of Bedford.
He built this restaurant from
the ground up, 10,000 square feet
of dining and event space offering
up a laid-back neighborhood
atmosphere. From the red brick
facade that makes the place look
reminiscent of those grand old mills
of New England, to the soaring
view of downtown from the rooftop
balcony, this is both comfort zone
and escape, familiar and far away.
Rich dark woods, inviting large
wicker chairs and bronze-colored
cushions abound. The showpiece
is the glass-topped bar and Chef’s
Table, with 1.6 million carats of
emeralds and amethysts shining up
under the glass.
Of course, the real attraction is
the food, highlighted by Gadsby’s
perfect multi-layering of flavors,
marrying the sweet and savory
so every bite is an explosion of
emotion and zing. And the new
menu offers something more:
mid-range pricing.
Gadsby recently streamlined
his offerings and made the pricing
more attractive to the current
economic climate. Cold appetizers
are priced at $14, hot appetizers at
$16 and entrees at $21. And don’t
think budget prices mean mediocre
meals. Au contraire. Gadsby’s
commitment to fresh ingredients
and artistic arrangements wouldn’t
allow for that.
Consider the Mimosa Salad,
a Gadsby specialty that’s been in
his menu collection for over a
decade, but only recently served
at one of his restaurants. Layers of
hard boiled egg whites and yolks
sit atop a blend of red and green
onions, bacon, chicken, papaya

and crunchy noodles. It’s served
with a shot-glass sized coconut
frappe, creating a medley of
sweet, spicy, savory satisfaction.
“I want to excite the palate,”
says Gadsby. “If you look at food
as a symphony of flavors, I look
to create a roller coaster.”
Ready for a ride? Then, settle
into the Torched Sea Scallop,
gently sliced and paired with
a sweet chili, green olive and
cucumber salad and offered with
a slightly sweet orange marmalade
or the beautifully prepared
Mushroom Rice, done with wild
mushrooms, crab nuggets and
a sweet chili sauce. It’s a rich,
earthy, velvety concoction, still
nodding to Gadsby’s signature
blending of layered flavors. The
handmade Rigatoni with Lamb
Sausage is a heart warmer of a
dish, served with zingy arugula,
a slightly spiced tomato confit
and potato mousseline. Topped
with freshly grated Parmesan, it’s
simply delicious.
For dessert, enjoy the
sample of chocolates, which
comes with homemade white
chocolate ice cream in a handcrafted cone and a series of rich
truffles and cookies.
While Bedford radiates
Gadsby’s signature high-end feel,
there’s something exceptionally
neighborhood about it. Regulars
drop in and razz the chef, while
bartenders greet oft-returning
guests by having their favorite
drinks at the ready. Through it
all, Bedford radiates a philosophy
that food is meant to be shared
and enjoyed, that new flavors
should enhance old favorites, that
approachable cuisine is a new
level of comfort food.
“I think of it as feng shui for
how you eat,” says Gadsby. “Food
isn’t only substance for the body.
It fills the spirit, too.”

bedford
1001 studewood
713-880-1001
bedfordrestaurant.com

connoisseur
main dish

Mimosa Salad

Homemade ice creams

Torched Sea Scallop

Rigatoni with Lamb Sausage

Dining room

september/october â&#x20AC;˘ 2009

41

connoisseur

small bites

want sum?

Dragon Blossom, Gigi’s

good eats
Story | Holly Beretto Photography | Mark W. Lipczynski

For a new take on the well-rounded meal, table-hop these
Houston eateries for some of the best tastes in town.

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Think $12 might not buy much in Houston’s
upscale shopping mecca, the Galleria? If so,
you just don’t know where to look.
On Saturdays and Sundays, that bargain
price buys you all-you-can-eat dim sum at
Gigi’s Asian Bistro, a swanky, sophisticated
scene in the heart of the Galleria’s hustle and
bustle.
The dim sum menu offers a dizzying array
of steamed and fried choices. Picking just
one would be obscene; best to think of this as
chance to indulge your spirit for adventure,
even as you give in to your craving for
comfort food.
The pot stickers fall into that category—
pan-fried chicken dumplings accompanied
by a spicy red vinegar ginger sauce that will
have you reaching for more. You can’t miss
the shrimp dumpling either. Folded into
a homemade tapioca wrap and steamed in
butter, this dish is an explosion of plump,
juicy shrimp swirling in a velvety symphony
of dough and delight. And the Shu-Mai is to
die for: racy steamed crab, succulent shrimp
and crunchy water chestnuts paired with a
trio of spicy or savory sauces.
Gigi’s offers an appetizer menu that allows
you to be part explorer and part artist, finding
new flavors and designing your personal style.
Put yourself in the hands of chef Junnajet
“Jett” Hurapan, a Bangkok fireball by way of
New York and Atlantic City and be prepared
to experience all of Asia’s exotic elegance.
gigi’s asian bistro
5085 westheimer #b2515
713-629-8889
gigisasianbistro.com

Hanging out

c
connoisseur

small bites

Houstonians know that benjy’s is one of the best addresses in town for haute cuisine. A
standby fave in Rice Village, the outfit opened a new location late last year on the busy
Washington Avenue corridor, further cementing its own reputation for great food and
enhancing the avenue as a dining destination.
Central to the restaurant opening on Washington was the idea that it wouldn’t be a copycat
of the Village locale, but would be a spot with its own personality and flair—still possessing
benjy’s commitment to cuisine.
Enter the Buffalo Hangar Steak. You’ll find a version of it on the Village’s menu, but chef
Mike Potowski wanted a way to make the Washington incarnation stand out. He starts with
lean buffalo meat, then seasons it with ras el hanout, a Moroccan market spice that perfectly
compliments the buffalo’s rich, gamey texture. It’s topped with a demi-glace and espresso sauce
that’s a punchy companion for the meaty steak, and paired with a creamy, lush bone marrow
risotto and roasted vegetables. The result is a stunning marriage of flavors that bounce off one
another and enhance the whole. It’s a hearty, Texas taste, a perfect carnivore’s delight.
benjy’s
5922 washington ave. • 713-868-1131 • benjy’s.com

Layers of Lemons

Debora Smail

Some things just have to be tasted to be
believed. Del Frisco’s Lemon Deborge Cake is
one of them. It’s a New Orleans’ style six-layer
cake with lemon-butter cream icing and a
lemon glaze, all of it full of sass and snappy
citrus. But, far from being a sugar overdose,
it’s light, airy and beautifully showcases the
flavors of both the lemon and the creamy rich
goodness of the cake and the icing.
Little wonder then that it’s the signature
dish on Del Frisco’s menu—and the
restaurant’s No. 1 selling dessert. This is the
sort of luscious treat that hits all the right
sweet-tooth notes, never falling into that
too-rich-for-more-than-one-bite category that
many restaurant desserts face. It’s this balance
that makes it such a winner.
The cake itself is the epitome of comfort
food. The icing is just decadent enough to
make you feel like it’s a real guilty pleasure.
The glaze is like having little lemon fireworks
go off in your mouth. Together, they are a
true high note of a meal ender.
Of course, it’s so good you might be
tempted to skip Del Frisco’s steaks altogether
and just order cake and coffee. You can do
that, of course, but you’d really be missing
out. Much better to enjoy a full evening of
dining at this clubby Galleria eatery and save
the best for last.
del frisco’s double eagle steak house
5061 westheimer #500
713-355-2600
delfriscos.com

september/october • 2009

43

Tom Zizka and Cleverley

connoisseur
Cleverley

cakes for a cause

Cleverley's

corner

I’m a good cake eater, but a decorator? Not so
much. Houston media folks competed in a
cake decorating contest sponsored by Kroger.
Fox 26 anchor Tom Zizka won for the prettiest
cake. Wha?? I’ll never live that down in the
Fox newsroom! Kroger donated $1,000 to the
Houston Food Bank after the butter cream battle.
Bruce Molzan

table
Story | Cleverley stone

natural man
Robert Del Grande

Bruce Molzan’s Ruggles on Montrose
was shuttered by Hurricane Ike. But he’s
back with Houston’s first Certified Green
Restaurant™, Ruggles Green on W. Alabama.
I love the Hi-Protein Hempanadas™ and his
n June 30, Robert Del Grande closed Café Annie. Less than a month later, he opened his gluten-free dishes are big hits.
Molzan cooks hormone, anti-biotic and
new restaurant, RDG + Bar Annie, on July 17.
preservative
free and they have the largest
What I love about his menu is that he has included dishes from his entire culinary career,
recycling
operation
of any restaurant in town,
dating back to the 1980s. The year each dish debuted appears on the menu, from escargot with
overseen by Molzan’s business partner, Federico
caramelized garlic and parsley butter (circa 1980) to shrimp meat balls (circa 2009). Candace
Marques. The restaurant offers counter service
Schiller’s interior design talents have given us one of the chicest restaurants in town.
and sometimes there’s a line, but it moves quickly.
You can view the menus and get the recipe for the shrimp meat balls on my blog at
When I asked Bruce when (and if ) Ruggles
http://blog.cleverley.com.
on Montrose would re-open, he said, “We are
working hard for Ruggles Montrose to open.
Dealing with insurance and city inspectors
has been a real challenge.”
Do you know who created Ruggles many
ow lucky are we to have the only Michelin-starred chef in
years ago? Prolific Houston restaurateur
Texas in our own backyard?
Manfred Jachmich, who is now a partner
Matthew Gray, formerly of Inverlochy Castle in
in SoVino Restaurant & Wine Bar. When I
Scotland, has landed at Chez Roux, the signature fine dining
restaurant at La Torretta Del Lago Resort in Montgomery. He was asked him what the word “ruggles” meant, he
hand-picked by world famous chef Albert Roux, who was named said, “Nothing. I just made it up!”
the “most influential chef in the United Kingdom” and was
cleverley stone
awarded three stars (the best) by Michelin for his restaurant, Le
She dishes about Houston’s food, wine
Gavroche, in London, the very first UK restaurant to receive three
and dining scene on CNN 650 Radio
stars. Chez Roux is his only American restaurant. Check out this
News, Fox 26 TV, “Cleverley’s Restaurant
Minutes” on K-HITS 107.5, and in her
delectable dish of desserts Matt made for me.

circa 1980 to 2009

stars shine bright

Top left: Matthew Gray, Chez Roux

44

prime-living.com

newsletter and blog at Cleverley.com.

connoisseur
uncorked

blackstone
photo: Tom O’Niel

M

ore than a decade ago, when
a lot of us were drinking
nothing but “a nice glass of
merlot,” one of those “nice” glasses we
were almost certainly drinking came
from Blackstone Winery in Sonoma.
At that time, of course, the grapes were
sourced from anywhere and everywhere
in California, but still, the national
fascination with this soft, pleasant, not
very complicated blending grape from
the Big Five in Bordeaux, mixed with
Blackstone’s $8 to $9 price tag, was
pretty hard to resist.
Then, after two or three years,
the usual thing happened.
Americans lured into wine
enjoyment by merlot—a bit
like those lured in by the
much-abused white zinfandel a
generation earlier—turned away
from their first love. Suddenly,
they were complaining that
it was too soft, too pleasant,
too uncomplicated—not at
all “interesting” enough for
our now-sophisticated palates.
Who can ever forget the sight
of the character in the movie
Sideways, rejecting merlot

every few frames for his oh-so-much more
sophisticated pinot noir?
So yes, we’re drinking better wines
now. And happily, for a host of reasons,
we’re paying more for the privilege of a
life enhanced by the grape. Once again,
however, if you’re sane about these things,
that grape should sometimes be merlot.
And perhaps even more amazingly, your
winery of choice on any given evening
should indeed be Blackstone.
Recently, I got to sit down with
Blackstone winemaker Gary Sitton
over dinner at Café Annie (especially
meaningful because it was days
before that restaurant’s closing to
be reborn as Restaurant RDG)
where I got to taste a quintet of
releases from the new line called
Blackstone Sonoma Reserve. As
the name implies, these wines
use grapes all from Sonoma,
often from a blend of legendary
appellations like the Dry Creek
and Alexander valleys. And as the
name also implies, they’re a tad
more expensive in a retail setting
that old California merlot.
Still, in the range from $16
to $20, they represent a huge

Story | John DeMers

leap upward in quality without a huge leap
upward in price.
We tasted five wines in all, including the
merlot (had to, this being Blackstone), plus a
nifty pinot noir and a cabernet sauvignon that
deftly sidestepped the “big” obsession that
haunted neighboring Napa for too long.
There were two knockouts. The 2007
Sonoma reserve chardonnay is amazing,
with limited oak, not too much of that
butteriness and just mouthfuls of clean,
crisp, delicious flavor. And then there’s the
2007 Rubric, Sitton’s version of a meritage
blend, which of course is California’s version
of a Bordeaux blend.
“There’s no place like it,” Sitton tells me
of Sonoma, which along with Tuscany and
Burgundy are my favorite corners of the wineproducing world. “The immense diversity,
from the coastline to the mountains, valleys
and rivers, still leaves me in awe. For me,
tapping into this range of growing conditions
is fundamental to making beautifully
expressive wines.”
John DeMers
Covering food and wine for more than
25 years, John DeMers hosts “Delicious
Mischief” on NewsRadio 740 KTRH.
He recently released Follow the Smoke:
14,783 Miles of Great Texas Barbecue.

This September, we’re suggesting a back-to-school party
of a different sort: the kids are back in class and the moms
survived the summer. Invite your girlfriends over for an
evening or morning of celebratory indulgence: champagne,
chocolate and a little spa time, too. Here’s our guide to
hosting a sophisticated soiree to toast “me time.”

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prime-living.com

connoisseur

entertain

Chic Eats - Put together
a pretty cheese tray and let
your friends enjoy adult tastes.
We paired a sharp cheddar,
Camembert, a goat cheese and
Petit Basque with raspberries and
crackers. The pink pedestal tray
and cheese knife (bottom right)
are from Saks Fifth Avenue.
Treats – Hit the ladies’ favorite
pastry shop and pick up a variety
of joys. Palmiers are a classic
Mini manicures – Ask your
French treat: sinful and so worth
two favorite nail technicians to set it. Dress up your trays with fresh
up mini manicure stations at your raspberries and sprigs of mint.
home, and then set a schedule for
your friends to be sure each girl
gets a turn during the party. Ask
the guests to bring their favorite
nail polish or provide a few new
fall shades to tempt them.
Party favors – Give each
guest a little gift as she arrives:
a kit filled with all the tools her
manicurist will need, plus more
to enjoy at home. We filled polkadot boxes with cotton balls, birch
wood cuticle sticks, and a nail file
and brush, all from Sephora. The
cosmetic-themed tray (right) is by
John Derian at Saks Fifth Avenue.
Pink place setting – Set
the table with sassy hot pink. We
layered luxe white plates, hot pink
napkins and small white bowls from
Crate & Barrel. Each guest will also
sit down to a surprise at her seat:
pink nail polish and a Gerbera
daisy tucked into each bowl.

Dessert – Mini cupcakes
you’ve baked yourself will make
your guests feel spoiled and
guilt-free. They’re easier than they
look: fill mini muffin cups with
your favorite batter, and top with
cream cheese icing and coconut.
You can also ask your favorite
bakery if they’ll bake tiny treats
for you.
Drinks – What to sip? Why,
Pommery Pink Pop Rose, of
course. It’s even sold in mini
bottles so you can give each guest
her own, and then let her sip it
demurely through a straw.
september/october • 2009

arley-Davidson was born in a garage in Milwaukee, Wisc. in least importantly, their distinctively cool sound, which the company
1901 when 21-year-old William S. Harley and his childhood trademarked in 1994.
friend Arthur Davidson built a motorized bicycle using
By 1920, Harley-Davidson was the largest motorcycle manufacturer
a 116 cc displacement engine designed by William. The
in the world and the company’s bikes dominated motorcycle racing
original Harley-Davidson motor bike proved too weak to conquer
events for many years. The nickname “Hog” — which has become
Milwaukee’s modest hills without pedal assistance, so William and
universally associated with H-D motorcycles — originated in 1920,
Arthur went back to the drawing board.
when a farm boy motorcycle racing team began taking their numerous
Six years later, the duo created the first “real” Harley-Davidson
victory laps with a live pig on their motorcycle.
motorcycle, a vehicle powered by
Today, the company that began
a 405 cc engine that defined the
production in a 150-square-foot
performance and appearance of
shed has become one of the most
the modern motorcycle.
recognized and admired brands in
The first Harley motorcycles
the world. H-D motorcycles have
The Harley-Davidson Motor Company has not only
were manufactured in a 10-bycome to symbolize dependable
been a world class performer on the road and on
15-foot shed in the Davidson
performance, freedom and
family’s back yard. From its
rugged individualism, and have
the racetrack, but it has also been a star on Wall Street.
modest origin, Harley-Davidson
developed an almost cult-like
A $10,000 investment in Harley-Davidson stock
quickly set the standard
appeal that has not diminished
(NYSE ticker symbol HOG) on Dec. 31, 1986 would
for innovative motorcycle
in the least with the age,
have been worth $2,319,100 on the same date in 2006.
technology and became widely
affluence and supposed maturity
Now that’s what we call a great ride!
loved and admired for their
of riders. Some toys you just
power, speed, durability and, not
never outgrow!

didyouknow?

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gentleman’s
room guy talk

she's
leaving
home

bye
bye

Story | Bruce Farr
Illustration | Paul Svancara

e

ach early fall, like
millions of other doting
dads, I’m reminded of
the day my only daughter
packed up and left home for
college in California. Not just
California, mind you, but L.A.,
“Lalaland,” where, in my tortured
vision, evil lurked on every corner
and an 18-year-old ingénue fresh
out of high school was far too
easy pickings for any manner
of gangster, thug, con artist or
pervert who prowled the streets of
that dark metropolis.
My overwhelming sense those
first few agonizing weeks was
that if I didn’t call my little girl
every day, something terrible
would befall her. Somehow, in
my pained and twisted logic, I
imagined that, through sheer
force of will, I could stave off any
harm to her by simply picking up
the phone and hearing her voice
on the other end of the line.
At first she seemed just as glad
as I to chat. I listened raptly while

she rattled off everything new
she was experiencing: her classes
were fun and challenging, she
was meeting a ton of new friends,
her tiny apartment—which
she’d opted for instead of a dorm
room—was a breath of fresh air.
But, after a couple of weeks
of my daily calls, we seemed to
run out of things to say, and it
became clear that her patience
with my phoning was wearing as
thin as our subject matter.
So one fateful afternoon, our
conversation went something like
this:
Me: “Hi, honey!”
Her: “Uh, hello, Dad. Wassup?”
Me: “Well, just calling to see
how you’re doing.”
Her: “Umm-hmm.”
Me: “So…how ya doin’?”
Her: “Fine; just as good as I
was doing when you called
yesterday, Dad.”
[Here, I paused, trying to think
of something meaningful to

her on her daily path. I still have
moments when I can’t conceive
of how it could have happened;
how—all on her own—she
seems to have taken charge of
herself and blossomed into this
thoughtful, charming and very
independent young lady.
I suppose at some point it’s
Now, four years later, I’m happy
every dad’s fear and conceit that
to report that somehow—even
our kids can’t survive without us,
without my obsessive vigilance—
my daughter is not only surviving but then, isn’t that what we’ve
spent their entire lives trying to
college and L.A., she’s actually
instill in them? That sense of
thriving there. She’s getting close
independence?
to graduation, has found a job in
These days, when I experience
her chosen field, is going out with
an overwhelming urge to be
a great guy and seems, beyond all
sense of reason or possibility, to be needed, I’ve learned to shift
managing her own life very nicely, my focus to our pet dog,
Roxy. Having replaced my
thank you very much.
daughter as the reigning diva
Sometimes, when four or
of the household, I can at least
five days or even an entire week
be assured that she won’t be
has passed and I haven’t heard
heading off anywhere more
from her, I chuckle to think that
distant than the back yard, and
she’s proving to be so capable of
that all the doting in the world
making her way in one of the
from her “daddy” won’t faze her
world’s largest cities, and doing
one little bit.
it without dear old dad to steer
ask her.]
Me: “So…what’s for dinner
tonight?”
Her: “Dad?”
Me: “Yup!”
Her: “You’ve got to stop calling
me every day.”

september/october • 2009

51

gentleman’s
room driver's seat

trucker
Story | Don Armstrong

A

sk your neighbors to
name a famous pickup
truck and most will
answer, “Ford F-150.”
Why? Because Ford has sold
more of these half-ton pack mules
than any other truck builder: 33
million since 1948.
The Ford F-150 continues
to prove itself everyday—in
Texas cotton fields, at the Port
of Houston and going out for
a night on the town starting at
Houston’s Wortham Theatre.
Part of the F-150’s success comes
in the form of choice. Ford offers
no fewer than seven trim levels,
three cab sizes, three bed lengths,
three engines and comes in both
two- and four-wheel drive models.
You’d be hard pressed to say you
couldn’t find exactly what you were
looking for with this pickup.
Feeling pressure from
competitors like Toyota and GM,

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prime-living.com

Ford fast-tracked this new, “fromthe-ground-up,” 2009 model
F-150. By getting input from all
across America, it seems Ford
didn’t miss a beat.
The F-150 is now built on a
fully boxed frame, which gives it
more rigidity and helps to keep
it from twisting under load. The
new cab and bed take cues from
the Super Duty series, Ford’s 3/4ton and larger trucks.
Atop the F-150’s numerous
trim levels is the Platinum
Edition, a notch above the
popular Texas King Ranch luxotruck. Among its accoutrements
is a satin chrome grille with mesh
inserts, 10-way leather captain’s
chairs upholstered with tuxedo
stitching and embroidered logos
on the seatbacks. Another nice
touch is the satin gloss Lacrosse
Ash wood grain accents and real
brushed aluminum panels, center

console and doors. Standard
are 20-inch, 16-spoke polished
aluminum wheels.
One of the many options you
must have is the Sony navigation
radio with Ford’s Sync system.
And don’t forget the cargo
management system, tailgate step,
built-in trailer-brake controller
and stowable bed extender, just to
name a few.
Even if you’re not in the
market for one of these beauties,
if you spot one in the parking lot,
take a look. We think you’ll agree:
This is what drivin’ in Texas is all
about—or at least it should be.

don armstrong
A professional
broadcaster for more than
35 years, Don Armstrong
is also a seasoned writer
and voiceover talent.
Catch him on Sky Fox on Channel 26
reporting on Houston’s morning traffic.

here’s something special
about the opening day
of dove season, and its
allure has little to do
with the birds.
While Northerners huddle
aimlessly beneath trees and wait
for leaves to dry and fall, we
who reside at a more temperate,
tolerable latitude ready ourselves
for dove season, which, in Texas’
north and central zones, opens
the first day of September, not
the first Saturday in September.
And on that day, rain or shine or
tropical gully washer, a majority
of Texas offices, refineries and
small businesses are missing some
or most of their employees.
Opening day is more than a first
opportunity for country folk to put
fresh meat on the family table. It
can be that in rural areas, but over
time in a state so game-rich and
gregarious, the kickoff has become
so much more. Opening day is a
hybrid combination of tailgating,
barbecuing, socializing…and gunfire.
September’s first dawn is when
men and increasing numbers of

women, often in the company
of their children, gather to
rekindle old friendships and spark
new ones. And on that same
afternoon, Texans uninterested in
early alarms repeat the activity.
It makes no difference whether
you wore a suit or uniform or
coveralls to work the previous
day. In the field, when the sweat
pours and birds fly, all are equal.
Make no mistake that dove
hunting in southeast Texas in
September can be uncomfortable.
All days in September are hot.
Some are quite humid and
the rest are extremely humid.
Perspiration washes away your
mosquito repellent and sunscreen;
you’ll need to reapply both. Daub
your ankles, too, to discourage
chiggers and watch for snakes.
All that, and I wouldn’t miss
it. Even when hosts concede
poor dove counts in their fields,
a possibility any time with
migratory birds, nobody I know
would pass and go to work.
There remain some Texas
hunters for whom success always

gentleman’s
room outdoors

beating the odds
is measured by the numbers of
doves in their sacks, but more of
us view the kickoff as an excuse to
breathe some fresh air and maybe
a little cigar smoke.
Notation must be made here
that every dove shoot I have
experienced in recent years has
strictly prohibited alcohol until
after the guns are secured. We
dove hunters are not the whiskeyguzzling caricatures as which we
are portrayed by the ignorant and
intolerant. Field time with friends
provides its own good feeling. What
adults do afterward is their business.
Dove hunting is casual and
a session can begin and end
whenever you like within lawful
hunting hours. The difference
between a full limit and nothing
is barely two pounds of meat.
It’s not the birds that make this
annual occurrence so popular.
It’s opening day. Doves are
just a plentiful, challenging,
tasty excuse to drop the tie and
polished shoes, don some khaki
or camo, and enjoy the company
of friends.

If you hunt doves, show
enough respect for the
birds to become a qualified
marksman. Take a lesson or
two so that you can outshoot
the average dove hunter,
who sacks a pathetic three
doves on average per box of
25 shells. In addition to being
costly, sloppy shooting also
wounds and kills birds that
won’t be recovered. Get some
instruction. Dove hunting’s
a lot more fun if you finish
with something that can be
wrapped in bacon and stuffed
with a jalapeno.

doug pike
Doug has traveled the
world to satisfy his
passion for the outdoors.
During his career, he has
won 100-plus state and
national awards for writing, broadcast
and photography.

september/october • 2009

53

gentleman’s
room high tech

Story | Michael Garfield

W

Q

Are the Blu-ray
players that come
built in some of
the video consoles
worth it or should I
buy a separate player to
watch HD movies?
A: Currently, Sony’s PlayStation 3 is
the only major video game console
to come with a Blu-ray player.
Microsoft’s Xbox 360 did have a
HD-DVD player add-on but, alas,
that format is now history. The PS3
Blu-ray player works well and is a
solid choice if you want to watch
I have three kids
high-def DVDs. The controller
and each one
wants a different lacks some of the special features
that can be accessed on stand-alone
game console. Should
Blu-ray players but it is worth the
we get all three
cost savings and space on your
or can you help us
entertainment center rather than
decide on the Xbox
having two devices.
360, PlayStation 3 or
Nintendo Wii?
Nintendo
A: Actually, this is a personal
changed the
decision that calls for a family
way we interact
meeting. One factor to consider
is whether or not the games you with games by releasing
the Wiimote. We love it,
want are interchangeable. Some
but is there anything
titles are exclusive (Halo, for
cooler planned down
example, only plays on Xbox
360). If you still are up in the air, the road?
look at the game controllers that A: Controllers come in many
shapes, not just the handheld
come with each system to see if
gamepad. There are joysticks,
the family is comfortable with
trackballs, paddles, throttles
them. Online interactivity is
also important as each company and even steering wheels. The
Wiimote has been a big success
offers certain downloads like
due to its motion sensing ability
movies, TV shows and songs.
to recreate a golf or tennis
hen it comes to video
games, I remember
playing machines that
were six feet tall. Today, there
are several choices that connect
to your TV monitors that make
Space Invaders actually look 3D.
Which console is the best
for you? What’s next
on the video game
horizon? You want
to know and I
respond:

Q

Q

54

prime-living.com

Q

How do games
seem so real
when it comes to
sports?
A: Animated stick figures are a
thing of the past. Professional
sports leagues now license their
teams and player names for
realism. Actual athletes are also
used to help create the motions
and plays. Since video game
consoles are actually high-powered
computers, fluid movements can
be shown such as football throws,
racing car speed and steering and
even reeling in a bass.

Q

Can you
recommend a
handheld video
game unit?
A: Sony PSP and Nintendo DS
are pretty much the two players
in this industry. The PSP is
a bit more expensive ($170)
but is at least a step ahead of
the competition. Its high-def
screen can play movies and it
can play audio in addition to
games. Go for it!

Michael Garfield
Known as “The High-Tech
Texan®” to audiences
nationwide, Michael hosts
technology and issueoriented talk radio shows
six days a week on The 9-5-0. See what
he’s up to at HighTechTexan.com.

courtesy Nintendo | courtesy Sony

gameon

swing, baseball pitch or bowling
roll. The next “big thing” is a
camera-based controller utilizing
gestural control, voice command
and facial recognition. Microsoft
is working on this for the Xbox
360, but no release date has
been announced.

56

prime-living.com

Haunts
Houston

Story | Robin Barr Sussman

Photography | Mark W. Lipczynski

Whether terrifying or tickling us, ghost stories capture our imagination, especially
around Halloween. Say “ghosts” and you might think of old lighthouses wedged on
the cliffs of Oregon, foggy London streets, or Dracula’s castle in Transylvania. But
believe it or not, downtown Houston also flickers with the paranormal. Read our
tales and you decide: Haunted or just spooky folklore?
september/october • 2009

57

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prime-living.com

N

Julia Ideson
Library

amed after Houston’s first librarian, the Julia Ideson Library
was opened in 1926 and its dark, profound Spanish
Renaissance-style architecture alone sets the stage for mystery.
“Entering the Ideson building on a sunny day is scary. I push open
the heavy doors…and as they ‘shush’ behind me, all I see is black,”
says Sandra Lord, owner of Discover Houston Tours, which includes
this historical site on its popular Ghost Walk tour.
Despite the presumption that Julia Ideson is haunting the grounds,
legend commands that it is actually the spirit of Julius Frank Cramer,
the library’s first custodian and gardener who lingers on the property.
Cramer was a man of solitude, living only with his German shepherd
Pete in a hollow apartment deep beneath the library. After his death in
1936, he had only a sister left to sign his death certificate.
Perhaps it’s because he had no one else in the world that Cramer
returned to his beloved library to carry on his duties of custodian and
handyman. According to legend, when he lived in the building, there
was no air conditioning (the unthinkable) and the heat was so stifling
that Cramer would lead his dog up to the gallery on the third floor.
From the large, open-air balustrade loggia overlooking McKinney street,
Cramer would launch into a waltz on his violin allowing the booming
acoustics to carry song throughout the library and into the night air.
Hattie Johnson, who worked at the library in 1946, could hear
Cramer’s violin on cloudy, dreary days and the music would play for
the longest time.
“Johnson, like the other former employees who worked in the
building, said the place spooked her,” adds Lord.
Today, if you’re in the old library and hear the pitter-patter of feet
following you, or if a whisper of music fills your ear, it might be the
ghost of Cramer with Pete in tow. You might also sense his presence
by a small oak tree he planted on the west side of the building named
the Cramer Oak, in his honor. Even in death, it is said that he likes to
tend to the tree as one of his ever-lasting responsibilities.
julia ideson library • 500 mckinney
832-393-1313 • houstonlibrary.org

september/october • 2009

59

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prime-living.com

brewery tap

I

f you’re looking to slide a stool up to the bar at
the Brewery Tap, you might find yourself with
company. But don’t be alarmed. It’s only the
spirit dubbed “William” who is looking for some
company, too.
The Brewery Tap is housed in the Magnolia
Brewery Building, formerly the Houston Ice and
Brewing Co. Built in 1912, the building became
part of a sprawling complex running along the
Buffalo Bayou. And while it beautified the cityscape,
nature had a different destiny for the brewery. When
two separate floods hit the downtown area, the first
in 1929 and later in 1935, the company began to
flounder. During prohibition, it reluctantly closed
its doors in 1950.
Yet, while the company struggled to stay afloat,
there was a very contented man who worked his days
away in the basement of the building. One day, the
loyal worker died in that dark basement after a keg fell
on top of him. Patrons of the Brewery Tap can still
witness William’s allegiance to the company since he
became the bar’s resident ghost.
According to the legend by Brewery Tap owner
Phil Carver, the ghost remained unnamed for many
years until he became friendly with a barmaid named
Kathy. After auditioning several names for the spirit,
she felt William suited him best. William is known
to have abundant personality, fluctuating between

flirtatious and mischievous.
Charlene Briones was a participant on a tour of
the Brewery Tap this year and took a photo of a
framed photograph being held by the tour director
that displays an image of ghost William.
“The ghost comes across as a light or orb
hovering over a bar customer in the picture. There
also seems to be a paranormal image in my photo
of a third hand helping the director hold the frame
of the photo,” says Briones.
Debe Branning, an Arizona resident who writes
for About.com, also toured the Brewery Tap.
“We asked the spirit to make our magnetic field
meter blink for us and I recall the lights blinking
when the meter was in my hand,” she says. “Ghosts
are known to use magnetic/electric fields to manifest
so these tools can measure a change in the field.”
Apparently, William is never one to shy
away from a pretty girl, and he’s likely to knock
something over, just to grab your attention. Kathy
will always be his favorite gal, as she claims he saved
her life after pushing a chair in front of her that
made her notice a thief waiting outside the bar.
Cheers to ghosts!
brewery tap
717 franklin st. • 713-237-1537

september/october • 2009

61

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prime-living.com

T

founders memorial cemetary

he best place to look for ghosts is the last place they rest, but at
the Founders Memorial Cemetery near downtown Houston,
there seems to be no rest for the eerie.
The cemetery is said to be filled to the brim with paranormal
activity. As you enter, you’ll notice the Texas Historical Markers
in commemoration of Houston’s founders John Kirby Allen and
Augustus Chapman Allen. It is said that these brothers, who set aside
the land for Houston’s first city graveyard, now spend eternity within
its parameters.
But the Allen brothers are far from the only historic legend lurking
throughout the cemetery.
“The cemetery wears a very protective feeling over it, like you
are being watched. At dusk, it is eerie,” says Branning, who also
participated in this tour.
Many people report feeling an ominous presence surrounding
them at Robert Barr’s grave, who was the first Postmaster General of
the Republic of Texas.
“When you look at his headstone at night with a flashlight, a face
appears to be peering right back at you,” explains Branning.

While that is enough to scare anyone, the monument that people
find most frightening is erected in honor of the 40 veterans of the
Battle of San Jacinto. The individual granite markers are adorned with
copper laurel wreaths, signifying victory, eternity and immortality.
Once the copper penetrates the granite as it does over time, shades
and dimensions form on each of the markers and the stones take on
an almost human-like image.
While it is likely that one of the notable residents of the yard
are haunting the grounds, perhaps it is the people with no names
that come out at night, hoping to grab your attention. When the
cemetery was created, it was meant to hold 1,000 bodies. Because of
the outbreak of yellow fever and cholera, many bodies were merely
dumped in mass graves with no ceremony or marker to show their last
place. John Kirby Allen could even be among the restless, as he died
of malaria way before his time.
founders memorial cemetery
1217 w. dallas • 713-865-4500
www.houstontx.gov/parks/founderscemetery.html

september/october • 2009

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prime-living.com

ashton villa

A

shton Villa, an historic
mansion built in 1859,
is not only known for its
beautifully restored grandeur, but
also as one of the most haunted
buildings on Galveston Island.
Dwayne Jones, executive
director of the Galveston
Historical Foundation, says that
they don’t present Ashton Villa
as a haunted house but that “the
rumors which originated when
the building opened to the public
have escalated over the past 10
years and there’s been lots of
energy on this topic lately. This is
probably due to all the new ghost
Web sites, shows and books.”
Yes, there’s controversy as
to the haunted aspect of the
building, but the stories have
a common theme. The star
is Bettie Brown, daughter of
wealthy banker and railroad
president James Moreau Brown
who built the home. “Miss
Bettie” is said to appear from
time to time on the second floor
wearing a turquoise gown. Some
have even heard the piano in the
Gold Room played at night by
unseen hands. Ceiling fans have
been known to turn themselves
on and one bed refuses to stay
made no matter how many
times a day the sheets are
straightened.
“Some tour visitors have
reported a presence joining
them on the tour, but this
might just be visitors who have
a predisposition to this kind of
paranormal sixth sense,” explains
Jones. Why so much attention
on Miss Bettie? “In her day, she
was the talk of Galveston because
she was flamboyant, single and
an international traveler who
had a large presence socially and
economically. Perhaps that is why
believers think she came back,”
says Jones.
The staff due has debunked
some of the rumors to lack of
evidence.
“For instance, Miss Bettie
never played the piano when

living, so why would she play it
now?” says Jones. “I’ve never seen
or felt anything. But if you are a
believer, I can see how you might
have that experience on the
island due to all the immigrants
that have come through here and
all the rich history.”
Amazingly, the three-story
villa survived the great storm
of the 1900s without extensive
damage except for flooding the
first floor of the building. It
has been said that the owners
opened the front and back doors
to let all the water flow through
the building to avoid interior
damage. Although Ashton Villa
has reopened since Hurricane
Ike, the storm’s foul surge left
water-damaged antique furniture
that had to be sent away for
special repairs. Building repairs
are still being attended to today.
ashton villa
2328 broadway, galveston
409-762-3933
galvestonhistory.org

Led by Houston history expert Sandra Lord, this outfit offers
ghost walks, cemetery and mausoleum visits, and tunnel and
rail tours. For an paranormal experience that will get you up
close and personal, sign up for Lord’s Broomstick Adventures,
which allows tour participants to bring cameras and EMF
meters to Houston’s most haunted “hot” spots.
713-222-9255 • discoverhoustontours.com

Ghost Tours of Galveston

Voted one of the best haunted ghost tours in America by
Haunted America Tours, this company offers visitors a hairraising look at Galveston Island’s unique history. Tour guide
Dash Beardsley reveals the stories behind such events as the
Great Storm of 1900 and the Battle of Galveston, as well as
the historic buildings along the Strand.
409-949-2027 • ghosttoursofgalvestonisland.com

september/october • 2009

65

live well

well-being

There is effective therapy for breast
cancer. Survival for early stage disease is very
optimistic and advanced disease is also quite
treatable. Early detection may translate to
cure, but advanced disease also warrants state
of the art therapy. Discuss options with your
oncologist as every situation is unique and
deserves individual attention and planning.
Annual screenings and mammograms are
de
rigueur for women over the age of 40. If
Story | Sue Hauenstein
detected in the earliest stages, the five-year
survival rate for breast cancer is 100 percent.
When it comes to technology, the new
generation of brachytherapy applicators
hen we were growing up, the
most frightening health concern targets radiation directly to the tissue of
concern. Newer technologies in breast cancer
our parents’ generation faced,
was the “Big C.” Back then, cancer was feared treatment include a procedure that involves a
small balloon device surgically inserted into
as a death sentence.
the patient’s breast. Rather than irradiating
We’ve come a long way, baby!
the entire breast, this technology minimizes
While many cancers are still life
radiation close to healthy tissue. The patient
threatening, diagnostic tools have evolved to
such a degree that the majority of cancers can receives radiation treatment twice a day for
five days decreasing the length of treatment by
be treated successfully, if discovered in time.
five or six weeks. The catheter
While it should be noted that
is surgically removed after the
not all breast changes, such as
treatment is completed.
lumps, indicate cancer, variations
Successful breast cancer
in the breast should be reported
treatment, however, isn’t
to a doctor immediately. Should
limited only to technology.
you find yourself in the position
Emotional and social support
of having a positive diagnosis, put
are crucial factors.
on your sunglasses, the future’s
“At our facility, emotional
looking bright.
support during the entire
According to Dr. Nadya
course of each patient’s
Hasham-Jiwa, a Houstontreatment is stressed,” says Kyle
based medical oncologist, early
Price, administrative director at
detection of breast cancer with
Memorial Hermann-Southeast.
screening mammograms allow for
“Nutritionists and social
a woman’s best chance for cure.
workers support the physicians
“Even more exciting is that
and nurses, assisting patients
state-of-the art therapy for early
stage or locally advanced breast cancer is readily through recovery and healing.”
Price also notes unique radiation treatment
available in our community. At Memorial
options, including Contura, which involves a
Hermann Southeast, we have a team of
five-day breast cancer treatment, as compared
affiliated physicians who specialize in breast
to six to seven weeks of treatment.
cancer treatment. They can address all aspects
“Believe it or not, we are finding women
of its management, from surgery, radiation and
chemotherapy, to hormonal therapy, nutrition all the time who don’t realize the importance
and emotional support, to our ultimate goal of of yearly mammograms and self-exams. They
think mammograms are too painful,” he says.
a cure,” she says.
“Despite all the education and awareness
Breast cancer treatment
around breast cancer and mammography,
involves a multidisciplinary approach,
there is still a lot of educating to do.”
including collaboration between the
oncologist, surgeon and radiation oncologist,
Dr. Hasham-Jiwa adds.
“The treatment plan is specifically tailored
for each woman, who also plays an important Did You Know?
role in finalizing her therapy. Therefore, your Although the disease is much less common
among males, men are susceptible to
understanding of the disease and therapies is
crucial. Choose a cancer doctor you can relate breast cancer. In fact, nearly 2,000 men are
diagnosed with the disease each year.
to and trust.”

Know
Your
Genes

w

66

prime-living.com

Show Your
Support
Second to lung cancer as the leading
cause of cancer death in this country,
statistics show that breast cancer will
affect one of every eight American
women in their lifetime.
In recognition of Breast Cancer
Awareness Month this October, a number
of fundraising efforts have been planned
to benefit breast cancer research
and education. From galas and golf
tournaments to marathon walks and runs,
get involved and do your part to help
eradicate this disease.
Sept. 13
Tour de Pink 2009
Benefiting the Pink Ribbons Project,
this is the first bike ride in Texas solely
benefiting breast cancer. Prairie View
A&M University, 5th Street Ave. A L.W.
Minor St. 7 a.m. Starting at $25. 713-5247465, tourdepink.org
Oct. 1 - 31
CRAVE Cupcakes’
Breast Cancer
Awareness Month
CRAVE will
donate 100
percent of
proceeds from
their pink ribbon cupcakes to the Lester
and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor
College of Medicine. Six for $19.50. 1151
Uptown Park Blvd. $19.50. 7-13-622-7283,
cravecupckes.com
Oct. 3
2009 Komen Houston Race for the Cure
More than 30,000 people are
expected to participate in this certified
USATF 5K (3.1-mile) course with running
and walking events. Allen Parkway
pedestrian bridge. 7:45 a.m. Starting at
$35. 713-783-9188, komen-houston.org
Oct. 26
Fort Bend Pink Ladies Golf Tournament
Held each year at the Sweetwater
Country Club, golf lovers will hit the links
and spend the day having fun, sipping
champagne and swinging for a cure.
4400 Palm Royale Blvd., Sugar Land.
Call for time and prices. 713-706-5635
Oct. 29 - 30
Breast Health Summit
Presented by the Breast Health
Collaborative of Texas, this two-day
statewide summit is open to anyone with
an interest in breast health. Registration
required. United Way of Texas, 50
Waugh Drive. 4 p.m. 281-464-5117,
the-rose.org

live well

Haute Wax

beauty

Fighting the
Wrinkle War

courtesy StriVectin | Timothy Frederick

l

Story | Sally J. Clasen

et’s face it, we’re all trying to combat
the signs of aging—and some of
us are in more of a hurry than
others to do war. In defense, the multibillion dollar skin care market is brimming
with non-prescription anti-wrinkle creams
that promise a youthful glow. Do they
really work?
Findings from a 2006 Consumer Report
study suggest over-the-counter wrinkle
cream, from the inexpensive to the priciest,
can’t turn back time. Researchers tested
products ranging from $38 to $335 and
concluded the wrinkle creams only offered a
slight improvement in the skin’s appearance,
depending on length used and active
ingredients, but no permanent age reversal.
If there are cracks in the effectiveness of the
anti-wrinkle market, it hasn’t stopped the
demand for facelifts in a jar, particularly for
luxury brands.
Here are two high-end products
aggressively marketed to buyers as weapons
against aging:
StriVectin-SD ($135 for 6 oz.) was first
successfully sold to decrease scarring and

stretch marks but by accident as become a
popular anti-aging treatment for wrinkles,
fine lines and crow’s feet. The primary
active ingredient found in the original
StriVectin formula is a peptide complex
called “Pal-KTTKS.” With its combination
of skin firming agents, skin hydrators and
elasticizers, the cream has been shown to
increase collagen and reduce wrinkles by
as much as 68 percent. In the Consumer
Reports study, StriVectin-SD Intensive
Concentrate earned an unattractive seventh
place spot out of 10 but finished first in a
blind study of anti-aging creams.
Another choice, Prescriptive Intensive
Rebuilding Moisturizer, was featured on
Oprah as a wrinkle cure worth its upscale
container. At $95 for 2 oz., the claim is that
the cream’s “build and fill” technology works
from the inside out to strengthen, firm and
lift while rejuvenating the outer layer of the
skin to decrease surface lines and wrinkles.
The Hydrabuild complex helps stimulate
natural glycosaminoglycans production to
maximize abundance of hyaluronic acid and
water in the skin, which promotes firmness.

This summer, European Wax Centers
hosted “Skin,” a French-themed soiree to
celebrate its first Houston location at the
River Oaks Plaza. Close to 300 guests
attended the evening, which was filled
with glamour, style and, of course, lots of
bare skin.
In addition to French daiquiris, Mumm
Champagne and delicious French bites
from Café Natalie, guests were treated
to a swimwear fashion show featuring
Zingara designs modeled by Brazilian
models and a tour of the center’s spa-like
facilities.
Ten percent of the evening’s sales and
pre-paid services went to the Women’s
Fund, whose mission is to educate
Houston area women and girls to be
advocates for their health.
European Wax Center
1564 W. Gray
713-524-4949
waxcenter.com

Face Forward
Because life is just too busy to be driving all
over town for essential beauty treatments,
Houston Skin Clinic recently opened a
location inside TheOne Fitness, a high-end
private gym at Voss and Woodway, near
the Houston Country Club. Owner and
aesthetician Susanna Schulz offers such
services as photo facials, microdermabrasion
and dermasound ultrasonic facials in a
private and luxurious setting.

MAX’s Wine Dive
Gourmet comfort food and wines
from around the world rule at MAX’s
Wine Dive. Enjoy award-winning food
and wine lists in a relaxed and chic
atmosphere filled with the sounds
of a hip jukebox under wine-bottle
chandeliers. Specialty dish: Fried
Chicken and Champagne. •
4720 washington ave. 713-880-8737,
maxswinedive.com

Mockingbird Bistro Wine Bar
The French and Italian rivieras meet
Texas at Mockingbird Bistro, where Texas
Provence cuisine is praised by media and
diners alike. Casual and inviting, this bistro
offers two private dining areas, a full bar
and award-winning wine list. Specialty

dining community is owned by restaurateur
Polo Becerra who once worked as a line
cook in its kitchen. Business people fill it by
day, romantics by night. •
1415 s. post oak lane. 713-993-9966,
postoakgrill.com

Prime
A casually elegant and relaxing waterfront
showplace for the farm fresh, New
American cuisine of award-winning
Executive Head Chef Joseph Trevino. Prime
indulges the senses with a menu and decor
that are equally sophisticated. Specialty
dish: Lamb chop and Cassoulet with Roast
Baby Roots. •
600 la torretta blvd., 936-448-4400,
latorrettadellagoresortandspa.com

The Remington Restaurant
Decidedly modern American with a
definite dash of Texas. Busy executives
can take advantage a special lunch menu
that adheres to tight schedules without
sacrificing culinary excellence. Specialty
dish: Southwest Caesar Salad. •
1919 briar oaks lane. 713-403-2759,
theremingtonrestaurant.com

Elegantly presented American fare with a
Mexican accent, this veteran of the Houston

VOICE
Hotel ICON is proud to present the awardwinning VOICE restaurant, where Executive
Chef Michael Kramer pairs inspired
modern American cuisine with one of the
city’s most dazzling venues. Recognized
as the No. 1 best new restaurant by Texas
Monthly. Specialty dish: Mushroom Soup
“Cappuccino.” •
220 main st., 832-667-4470, hotelicon.
com

FRENCH
Au Petit Paris

Considered one of Houston’s more
unique spots, Au Petit Paris will remind
you of Paris with its authentic French
creations from Chef Eric Legros and
Pastry Chef Dominique Bocquier. Specialty
dish: Sautéed sea scallop, smoky bacon,
and curry cauliflower puree with green
asparagus. •
2048 colquitt st. 713-524-7070,
aupetitparisrestaurant.com

NEW Greek Cupcakes &
Cookies from Dessert Gallery
Greek Cupcakes are available in
six popular flavors and can be
decorated with sprinkles to match
your sorority’s colors! Cupcakes
are $3.25 / each (minimum 1 dozen).
Create your own special cookie
artwork using the Cookie Canvas
feature on our web site. Cookie
Canvas creations are $2.25/ each
(minimum 1 dozen).
Order online today!

Now you can find us on:

www.dessertgallery.com
Kirby 713 522 9999
Galleria 713 622 0007

diningguide
French style of cooking. “The chef is the owner, as it
should. The chef is in the kitchen, where she belongs.”
Specialty dish: Dessert soufflés. •
209 s. ave g, humble. 281-446-6717,
cheznousfrenchrestaurant.com

Grotto
Enjoy authentic Italian cuisine in a warm, entertaining
atmosphere that will transport you to the cozy setting
of a trattoria in the Old Country. At Grotto, everything is
homemade on-premise. Specialty dish: Shrimp Paillard. •
4715 westheimer. 713-622-3663,
grottorestaurants.com

This modern Italian ristorante welcomes
diners with dramatic and stylish decor,
convivial bar area and a sophisticated
atmosphere. The menu features Italian fare
with modern accents including pasta, seafood,
steaks, rack of lamb and more. Specialty dish:
House made lobster ravioli, rack of lamb. â&#x20AC;˘
13215 grants road, cypress.
832-717-7870, www.veryfinedining.com

Prego
This contemporary Rice Village trattoria has
been a neighborhood favorite for more than
20 years. Menu features house made breads
and pastas, and the freshest meats, seafood
and produce. Attentive staff, award-winning
wine list. Specialty dishes: Center-cut pork
chops with prunes, Chianti essence, rapini
and sweet potato gnocchi. â&#x20AC;˘
2520 amherst. 713-529-2420,
prego-houston.com

9OUÂ´RE )NVITED TO THE
&ORT "END 2AINBOW 2OOMÂ´S TH !NNUAL
&LO "ERKMAN !WARD ,UNCHEON
Join us as we recognize those volunteers and sponsors who have
gone above and beyond to help abused and neglected children
and adults. Also, hear Michael Saint John, President of Minute
Maid Business Unit, Coca-Cola North America, discuss the
importance of an organizationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s investment in its community and
how to make a difference.
Thursday, September 10 at 11:30 a.m.
Safari Texas Ranch
11627 FM 1464 Rd, Richmond, TX 77407
For additional information contact Tonya Lewis at 832-595-3029 or
online at www.fbrr.org.
The Rainbow Room is a 501c3 non-proďŹ t
organization which provides hope and dignity
to abused and neglected children and families
in Fort Bend County.

Kata Robata is a new, chef-driven Japanese
grill and tapas concept built on the
pillars of high quality, creative food and
exceptional service. The menu from rising
star Chef Horiuchi is a combination of
traditional and modern Japanese cuisine.
Specialty dish: Foie Gras Sushi. â&#x20AC;˘
3600 kirby dr. 713-526-8858,
katarobata.com

Ninfaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on Navigation
Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only one original Ninfaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, and
this is it. Ninfaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on Navigation has set the
standard for Tex-Mex dining in Houston,

Pesce
From the tasteful design and elegantly
appointed dining room to the unparalleled
cuisine, Pesce is a feast for the eyes as well
as the palate. Renowned Chef Mark Holley
has carefully crafted a seafood menu
featuring a melting pot of flavors. Specialty
dish: Seafood Martini. •
3029 kirby dr. 713-522-4858,
pescehouston.com

Strip House
Known for prime signature cuts of beef
charred to perfection, Strip House also
serves up decadent side dishes include
Black Truffle Cream Spinach and Goose
Fat Potatoes. Part of the experience is
the sumptuous, all red decor featuring
vintage photographs. Specialty dish: New
York strip steak. •
1200 mckinney st.
713-659-0000, striphouse.com

Sullivan’s Steakhouse
Named after the champion bare knuckle
boxer John L. Sullivan, who was
nicknamed “the best of the best,” Sullivan’s
has been a local Houston mainstay for the
last 10 years. The 1940’s styled steakhouse
features the finest steaks and seafood. •
4608 westheimer. 713-961-0333,
sullivanssteakhouse.com

Tintos Spanish Restaurant
& Wine Bar
Tintos serves great traditional Spanish
tapas, as well as modern style tapas.
The menu also features tapas that have
Cuban and South American influences.
Signature dish: Paella. •
2015-j w. gray. 713-522-1330,
tintosrestaurant.com

the

Prime Living Messina Hof Harvest â&#x20AC;˘ 8.2.09

list

Messina Hof Winery

Talk about the star-treatment! A select group of wine lovers were
treated to a special event hosted by Prime Living and Messina
Hof. After starting their morning with mimosas and pastries, a
chauffeured luxury limousine transported guests from Houston to
the Messina Hof Winery in Bryan, Texas for a day filled with wine
tastings, grape picking and delicious eats. Guests also got the chance
to act out that famous I Love Lucy scene (you know the one) by
partaking in Messina Hof â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own grape stomping. After guests rinsed
off, they were treated to a wonderful harvest lunch, followed by a
cookbook and bottle signing.

The Ambassadorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Club hosted its 12th Annual Soiree with a clothing drive to benefit Star of Hope Mission
at the Courtyard on St. James. Club founder and chairman Riyad Abu-Taha and KPRC-TV Channel 2
anchor Lauren Freeman hosted more than 600 guests, many of whom were ladies dressed to the nines in
hopes of becoming Soiree Queen 2009. A host of local celebrities known as the Fashion Patrol prowled the
ballroom selecting the 10 best-dressed women to vie for the title. In the end, Nicole Alvarez won the top
honor and took home the crown.

list

Story | Roseann Rogers Photography | Todd Parker

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Academy Award
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actor Chazz Palmin nated
teri returns to
the stage in this
celebrated play
depicting a young
boyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s childhood
in the 1960s-era
Bronx.
Center for the Perform Hobby
ing Arts,
800 Bagby. Call
for
and prices. 713-62 show times
9-3700,
broadwayacrossamer
ica.com

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First large-scale
exhibition to
survey the theme
of
peace in the early-m war and
odern period.
Includes works
by
DĂźrer, Annibale Albrecht
Carracci and
Francisco de Goya.
May. 10. Museu Runs through
m
Houston, 1001 of Fine Arts,
Bisson
for hours. $7. 713-63 et St. Call
9-7300,
mfah.org

Houston Restaurant Week received a formidable—and delicious—
sendoff as Prime Living hosted a pre-event kick-off featuring fine food,
drink and entertainment. Held at the iconic Rainbow Lodge, more
than 150 invited guests enjoyed the ambiance of the 100-year-old
lodge while sipping on specialty Maker’s Mark cocktails and viewing
the work of contemporary, abstract artist John Palmer. Guests also
enjoyed live entertainment and mouth-watering appetizers provided
by the Lodge, who is also a participating restaurant in the annual
event benefiting the Houston Food Bank.
=
Photography | Morris Malakoff

Twenty years ago, Houston Astros wives Patty Biggio and Nancy
Caminiti joined forces to benefit the Houston community. After
enlisting other wives, the group selected the Houston Area Women’s
Center as their beneficiary and since then, has donated more than $3
million to help women and children whose lives have been touched
by domestic abuse. In August, the group hosted Black Ties & Baseball
Caps, which featured a cocktail reception, live and silent auctions,
dinner and entertainment. Held at Minute Maid Park, the event
raised more than $450,000, including $26,000 for a baseball
signed by Babe Ruth.

Miles and Miles of Texas: The
Lone Star Through the Eyes of
Buck Schiwetz
The Heritage Society and
CASETA collaborate to present a
rare exhibition of the Texas works
of E.M. “Buck” Schiwetz (18981984). The Heritage Society, 1100
Bagby St. Call for hours. Free.
713-655-1912, heritagesociety.org

Bytes and Birdies
Benefitting Tech Corps Texas, a
Houston-based nonprofit that
works to enhance education through
technology, this two-day event
features evening cocktails and dinner
followed by a day of golf at the
Wildcat Golf Club. Hotel ZaZa,
5701 Main St. 7 p.m. Call for prices.
713-895-3775, techcorpstexas.org

25th Annual Caesar
Salad Competition
Members of the Cardini
family—direct relatives of Alex
and Caesar Cardini, inventors
of the Caesar salad—will be a
part of the festivities that benefit
the Food & Beverage Manager’s
Educational Endowment.
Allen Center, 400 Dallas St.
5 p.m. $35. 713-609-5510,
caesarsaladcompetitionhouston.com

Oct. 24
Country Ball 2009
In its second year, guests will
enjoy an evening of live country
music and entertainment, dinner
and a silent auction at this
western-themed event benefitting
Houston’s Ronald McDonald
House. Firehouse Saloon, 5930
Southwest Freeway. 7 p.m.
$35 in advance. 713-795-3585,
rmhhouston.org

Model Brad Reed gets caught up in the moment in
between takes during our cover shoot. Mustâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been the
price tag on the DeWitt 18-karat white gold watch he
was wearing. At $24,600, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be smiling, too.
Photographed on July 31, 2009 by Mark Peterman.